Defiance
by Chris of Duke
Summary: A bounty hunter is hired by an Imperial Admiral to assassinate a defector to the Rebel Alliance, but not is all as it seems. Currently still being worked on. Chapter 14 Is Now Live!
1. Dirty Hands

Chapter I 

Dirty Hands 

The hot sun beat down on the dry, arid sand of Lok. The few bushes and plants that did grow looked like they have been dead for several years. Lok was one of the first planets in the Karthakk system to be colonized; however, now it was populated by mainly brigands and thieves that stayed in cities that were scattered all over the desert planet. The hazardous terrain varied from baked deserts to dangerous mountain ranges. It wasn't as deadly as planets like Dathomir or Mustafar but was lethal enough.

Vobe did not particularly care much for Lok or any planet of the Karthakk System. Out of the tens of thousands of planets in the Galaxy, Lok was one he rarely liked to visit. And yet, Lok was now the temporary hideout of Neixack, an escaped prisoner of the Tatooine crime lord Jabba the Hutt. Neixack had become on Jabba's bad terms when he shared privileged information about one of his special operations with Lady Valarian, one of Jabba's most hated enemies. When Jabba sent two of his subordinates to capture him, he proved to be a worthy adversary, killing both of the minions and making a quick escape to Bestine. Vobe knew he would catch him and bring him back to his employer.

The probe droid had tracked Nexiack throughout the galaxy to his desolate planet in the Outer Rim. Vobe knew that there was one major settlement on the planet, so he controlled his starship through the atmosphere until he arrived outside Nym's Stronghold. Nym had been known to be sympathetic to the Rebellion and had let some of the high officials of the Rebellion to hide in his colony while they traveled from hidden base to hidden base.

Vobe disembarked his ship and lowered his swoop from the cargo hold and sped off towards the stronghold. Upon arriving at the colony, Vobe noticed a crowd of people gathered around a body on the ground. The body had been shot several times in the chest and shoulder. Vobe stepped off his swoop and walked to the crowd of onlookers.

"What happened?" Vobe asked with an inquisitive tone.

"Someone just came through, shot this woman and stole her landspeeder," one person says with rage in her voice.

"Where did he come from?"

One citizen replies, "He got off that transport over there."

"Stowaway," he said to himself. "Anyone see what he looked like?"

The citizens gathered around began to describe the assailant which began to fit the description of his mark almost perfectly. "Which way did he go?" Vobe said. "I must find him." Several citizens pointed toward the East. Vobe walked back to his swoop and took out a small spherical droid and pressed a small button on the bottom. The droid whizzed with power and Vobe placed a small disc in the front and the tracker droid sped off to the East. He hoped it would keep track of him long enough for Vobe to get a visual lock on Nexiack. Within a few moments Vobe heard a loud beeping coming from his belt.

"Good work, lads. You found him. Now if he will only stand still," Vobe said to himself with a pleasing look on his face. Nexiack was only two thousand meters away. _That should be no problem._ Vobe thought as he sped off on his swoop, leaving his ship, _The Korregidor_, behind.

While speeding to the way to the Nexiack's location, Vobe passed several packs of kusaks which chased him across the barren desert. The small dog-like animals are extremely fast and can chase down any human on foot. They kept up to speed with the swoop but after a hundred meters, the pack slowed down and began to attack a lone vesp who used its spiked tail to swing at the kusaks, injuring one before being overwhelmed by the other three.

Vobe didn't stop to watch. He had a job to do but fighting was the last option. He had been known to talk several previous bounties into surrendering without firing a single shot. _Would that happen today? Would he be able to talk him into surrendering?_

Vobe had grown up on the desert world of Tatooine. He lived a life like every young boy on Tatooine, helping his parents with their moisture farms north of Wayfar. When he was fourteen years old, he was traveling with his parents to Jabba the Hutt's desert palace. When they had almost reached the fortress, a band of Desert Brawlers appeared from beyond a sand dune and attacked the family. Vobe was able to escape but watched his parents get slaughtered by the gang. He ran as fast as he could to the palace and safely made it inside before any harm came upon him. Because of his father's relationship with the famous crime lord, Vobe was allowed to stay at Jabba's Palace and learn things from any smugglers, thieves, or bounty hunters to come and visit Jabba.

While staying at Jabba's palace, he was taught how to use basic carbines and blasters from visitors to would visit the crime lord's citadel. As he grew older, he continued training under the best carbineers on Tatooine and Corellia. Although he had minimal skills with melee weapons, his strongest skill was with his EE3 carbine. He was small in stature but more than made up for it in his marksmanship ability.

While growing up he began to learn more information about his parent's murder. He informed that it was not a random attack that killed his parents but a premeditated one. This only made Vobe even more determined to discover the man who hired the band of thieves to murder his parents. He would not let his personal feelings get in the way of doing his job. He was almost killed by one of his bounties on Belgaroth, because he kept focusing on his past. He wouldn't let that happen today.

By the time Vobe reached the location the tracker had revealed to him, Neixack had moved eight hundred meters more to the North. Vobe shifted his swoop in the new direction and sped towards his new target.

As Vobe continued to drive to his new destination, he cleared his mind and gathered his thoughts, as well as gets his weapon ready. Neixack had been known to be extremely stubborn and start shooting before saying a word. He had already escaped several other bounty hunters, even killing the well-known Bhaal Kalhoun on Selvaris. But this time, he would not the escape the expertise of Vobe Onoss.

Vobe saw in the distance a small speeder moving on the horizon. That had to be Nexiack. He accelerated and when he came close to the speeder, he pulled out a small pistol and fired into the engine. It began to smoke and sputter slowing down with each second. He began to slow his swoop down and watch the speeder come to a slow halt. He heard Nexiack yell with anger and slowly get out of the vehicle.

Vobe jumped off his swoop and began to slowly walk towards Nexiack. "Well, well, look who decides to stop running."

"If you think you are taking me back to that giant, fat slug, you had better think again," Neixack responded with much anger in his voice.

"I do what I am paid to do, which is to hunt down murderers, assassins, and traitors like you."

"Do what you are paid to do? You kill for a living!"

"I kill those who have done harm to others, physical or otherwise. You can surrender peacefully and live or you can die here and be _dragged_ back to Jabba's Palace. It is your choice," Vobe said with a snarl.

"You can't talk me into surrendering like you did Opo on Thyferra. I am not going to give in like a baby nuna."

"Opo was weak, but you have two options. Surrender and your life will be spared Neixack. I have no regret about killing you. Now, drop your weapon and come with..." Before Vobe could finish his sentence, Neixack drew a blaster he had hidden in his jacket and fired. The shot missed Vobe by a tiny fraction.

Giving a small chuckle, Vobe knelt and as Neixack turned and started to run, Vobe pulled his carbine up slowly, taking his time to aim. There was nowhere for Neixack to take cover in the immediate area. He fired a single shot, hitting him in the lower spine crippling him almost instantly. Nexiack gave a horrendous scream of pain as he slammed onto the ground that would surely alert any nearby animals.

With that one, crippling blow, Vobe sighed with relief that his duty here was almost done. This was bounty hunting. Some preferred extravagant fights that tested their abilities, others like to torture their marks, but Vobe liked quick kills.

Screaming with pain, Neixack began to plead for his life as Vobe slowly walked over kicked Neixack's gun away and rolled him onto his back. "Vobe, please. Please. Leave me here and let the kimogilas eat me. Anything. Just don't let Jabba have his way with me," Neixack pleaded, "I underestimated you Vobe. I beg of you, please don't bring me back to him. He will do unthinkable things to me. Please let me rest in peace. I ask for your mercy."

"This could have been a lot easier. I gave you an option which you foolishly rejected," he said as he coldly fired a single shot that killed the traitor of Jabba the Hutt.


	2. Old Friends

Chapter II

Old Friends

Vobe probably could have guessed that Neixack did not have anything of value on him. Searching pocket to pocket, Vobe only found a few meager credits on the body. Rummaging through the speeder Neixack had stolen at Nym's Stronghold, Vobe found only a used striker pistol. This would have to do until he could afford some new weapons.

All that was left now was to have the body delivered to Jabba. Vobe wrapped the body in a large cloth and tied it on the back of his swoop. Jabba likes to see his traitors, dead or alive. What would Jabba do with a dead traitor but feed him to his pet rancor. Vobe was glad this mission was over because he needed a break for a little while to make repairs on his ship. He walked back to the speeder and placed his last thermal detonator in the seat and walked back to the swoop and sped off. Fifteen seconds later, there was an explosion and the speeder was nothing more than smoking ruins on the horizon.

The outer wall of Nym's Stronghold was barely visible but getting clearer by the second. In just a few moments, he would be back onboard his ship and heading back to Coronet to enjoy a well-deserved vacation. But his vacations never did seem to last long enough.

When arriving back to the colony, the crowd was still there but had since moved the body back into the medical center of the settlement. One citizen stopped Vobe and asked, "Did you find him?"

"Yes. I found him because I have been looking for him." Vobe said before he sped off without saying another word. He arrived back at his ship and placed his swoop back in the cargo hold and then entered the ship himself. He placed his worn armor in the storage compartment and changed into his black cloak. He noticed that his weapons had achieved their full use and were no longer functional. Vobe walked slowly to the cockpit and sat in the pilot's chair. He let out a long sigh, and started the engines. _The Korregidor _lifted and flew out of the atmosphere and into Lokian Space. Five minutes later, the ship shot into hyperspace.

Coronet City was busy, since it was the capitol of Corellia. This planet was a drastic change from Lok. Its land was lush and green with many lakes and rivers, unlike the harsh desert with its acidic based rivers and ponds of Lok. This was a much better environment.

The skyscrapers of Coronet City shot into the sky like giant mountains. Despite being so large, the city was rather easy to get around, unlike Coruscant, the central city in the Galaxy.

Coronet City was a good town but it had its bad side.

Upon arriving, Vobe sent a message to Jabba informing him that Neixack had been eliminated and that the body was on the way back to the Palace. With Jabba pleased, he would receive his one hundred thousand credit reward. This money was well needed. It would definitely cover the parts he needed for _The Korregidor_ and maybe even buy some new weapons.

But first he needed a drink.

As he began to walk the three hundred meters to the cantina, he noticed that Imperial activity had drastically increased since his last visit almost three weeks ago. Although he had sympathy for the Rebellion, he would never show it publicly, for fear of an unpleasant visit from Imperial Stormtroopers.

Since the destruction of the Empire's Death Star, Imperial activity was noticeable on Corellia, but now the activity had doubled._ Why would the Empire double its patrols? What could have happened?_ Vobe thought to himself.

While walking through the streets of Coronet on the way to the cantina, he felt a presence behind him.

"Freeze," the voice said.

But this voice came from no Imperial Stormtrooper.

"Put your hands up and slowly turn around," the voice continued.

Vobe let out a long sigh as he slowed down and turned around. However; it was no member of the Empire's army but was a Zabrak named Ekoospiat.

"I thought I was being searched again," Vobe laughed.

"You were always so afraid of being searched," Ekoospiat laughed.

"Not afraid, just weary of them. Care to join me for a drink?"

"Who could say no to an old friend?

Coronet Cantina was full of musicians and dancers from all across the galaxy, but of course every cantina had them. The Outer Rim planets had a more sordid type of customers in their cantinas. Smugglers, pirates and every kind of conceited pilot passed through them. But Coronet was different. Since it was near the core of the Galaxy, it had a more civilized band of customers, mostly artisans, pilots and traders.

Vobe had known the Zabrak for almost fifteen years and was always fond of his sarcastic sense of humor. Since first their meeting in a cantina brawl in Theed, those many years ago, Vobe could always rely on Ekoospiat for quick wit and sarcasm as well as his fighting ability. He had been trained by the best Teräs Käsi specialist on Naboo. Teräs Käsi was the ability to fight in unarmed combat. In a battle, Ekoospiat could definitely hold his own ground against some of the Galaxy's most revered combatants.

The two old friends sat along the side of the cantina, not too far away from the main crowd, but just far enough so that nobody would overhear anything important that might be said. "So how have you been doing Vobe?" Ekoospiat said.

"Been doing good, just busy working," Vobe replied.

"And where have your travels taken you recently?"

"Lok," Vobe said with smirk.

"Was it a pleasant trip?"

"Ha, hardly a pleasant trip. That planet is on the bottom of my list, but I don't choose where my marks go," Vobe said. "If it was my choice I'd have them go to a planet that is close to Corellia."

"But that would be no fun," Ekoospiat sarcastically.

"I don't care about it being fun; I just want a mark that won't make me travel halfway across the galaxy to some insect infested planet only to be attacked by every animal walking near me."

Ekoospiat started to laugh. "Well I don't know what to say. But listen," he said as his face got serious. "I've gotten word of some things that might interest you."

"Really? What would that be?" asked Vobe, very intrigued.

"Let's move to a more private spot. Who knows who might be listening?"

They got up from their seats and moved towards the more isolated and enclosed booths in the back of the cantina.

"Ok, what's this information you have for me Ekoo?" Vobe said with a curious expression.

"Do you know who Admiral Norkad Sarguillo is?"

"I've heard of him. He's quite a well known figure in the Imperial Navy."

"Well, rumor is he's been having his people trying to track you down."

"Why would Sarguillo want me?" Vobe asked flatly.

"Maybe he wants to hire you. Maybe he wants information. Who knows, but whatever he wants, I'd be careful to avoid heavily Imperial patrolled areas though."

"Like Coronet? A bit late for that isn't it?"

"Better late than never I suspect." Ekoospiat said laughing.

"Is there any word where Sarguillo might be? The last I heard of his whereabouts was two weeks ago when I was on Vorzyd IV and he was on, I think, Tatooine."

"Well the last report I have was that he was on Talus."

"Talus?" Vobe questioned with a bewildered look on his face. "That's in this system. Anymore information you might have would be helpful."

"I do not have anymore unfortunately."

"Well if you had anymore information, you would tell me. I mean we've been friends for almost fifteen years. I would trust you with my life."

"Usually only a few know of his travel schedule. He is a very enigmatic man."

"How did you find out that he was looking for me?"

"I dare not say. Who knows who could be listening."

"Do you think he has spies here in Coronet?" Vobe asked as he glanced at the crowds in the cantina.

"I would not know. He possibly could have this place watched. Well you might want to leave before someone spots you."

"It will be easier said than done, with the Empire patrolling Coronet like it is. Ekoo, would you help me get back to my ship?"

"Let's go out the back way."

As they got up and started to walk out of the private booth, Vobe noticed two Imperial Stormtroopers near the bar asking the bartender some questions. He also noticed that there were two more Stormtroopers near the entrance standing at attention, with their T21 rifles at the ready.

"Looks like they might have found me," Vobe said, stating the obvious.

"Have confidence, my friend."

As they walked through the corridor that led to the outside, Vobe watched them search the cantina unaware that he and Ekoospiat had snuck out towards rear of the cantina. Just as they reached the back door, stormtroopers swarmed and surrounded them. They glanced at each other, both thinking of a way to escape, but they were outnumbered. There was no possible way of escape, no matter how skilled they were in combat. The door then slid open revealing someone Vobe did not want to see.


	3. An Unwanted Meeting

Chapter III 

An Unwanted Meeting 

He stood tall and menacing. The fifty year old Admiral's black hair was slick back under his grey Navy hat. His heavy broad frame was used mostly to intimidate those he interrogated and only in matters of high security did the Admiral interrogate someone himself. He was not one anybody would like to be alone with.

"Somehow I would know to find you in the cantina," Sarguillo said with a pride.

"What is it you want with me?" Vobe questioned. "I have work to do. Ekoo and I were going to work on my ship. So if you don't mind we'll be on our way."

"Well it seems your plans have changed."

The Admiral gave a slight nod and within an instant Ekoospiat was laying face down on the ground unconscious. He had been hit from behind by one of the stormtroopers.

Vobe lunged at the Admiral, outraged, trying to hit him but was restrained by two stormtroopers standing behind him.

"You'll come with me" Sarguillo said threateningly.

As Vobe was getting dragged away by stormtroopers, he looked back to see Ekoospiat still lying unconscious outside the cantina door, hoping no misfortune would befall his friend.

"What do you want me for, Sarguillo?" Vobe yelled as he was being carried through the streets of Coronet, attracting the gazes of nearby citizens. "I have done nothing to the Empire and its armies! Release me!"

Sarguillo walked as if he was the Emperor's personal guard. He held himself in such high esteem as if he was the most prominent man in the Galactic Empire. The Admiral did not say a word as Vobe kicked and screamed trying to break free of the grasps of the two stormtroopers who had him by the arms. It seemed so ironic to him that not a day prior to this mishap, he was threatening Neixack, in complete control. Now he was the one that seemed vulnerable and weak.

After being drug though the several streets, Vobe relentlessly gave up and walked easily with the pace of the stormtroopers. He noticed that he was being brought to the starport.

_Why the starport? Where will they take me?_

As he was being led into the building, he saw a _Lambda_-class shuttle waiting to take off. Suddenly, he felt something hit him on the head.

All went dark.

Vobe awoke to a pain in his head. He opened his eyes slowly only to notice he was lying in a private office. _But whose?_ His thoughts changed to Ekoospiat. _Was he alright?_

"Well, I am glad to see you are awake now," a voice said.

"Where am I?" Vobe said confused.

"You are on-board my personal flagship, _The Destructor_. I am Admiral Norkad Sarguillo and you are my guest whether you would like to be or not."

Vobe sat up to see the Admiral sitting in the chair across the table from him. He looked around the small, gray office to see an array of some extremely rare weapons ranging from Scythe Blades to a Geonosian Sonic Pistol. There were also some more familiar ones from a Vibroblade to the commonly seen Gaffi sticks that the Tusken Raiders use on Tatooine.

As Vobe continued examining the room, he noticed that the door was unguarded.

"Don't think about trying to escape, Vobe. You would be dead before you made it to an escape pod. You will be released when I see fit."

"Would never think of it," Vobe said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Good." The Admiral said coldly.

"What do you want with me?"

"We'll get to that soon enough. You know it was easier than you think to track you down. I don't know why people say bounty hunting is a tough profession."

"I have just droids and I am only one man. It was easier for you because you could have half the Imperial Navy searching for me from Corellia to Geonosis."

"Oh, please Vobe. Geonosis has been deserted since the end of the Clone Wars. Why would the Empire send troops there? Besides, the only people who go there are pirates and those who wish not to be found and forgotten, which they often are."

"Do you mind telling me why you have taken me from my work?"

"Patience, Vobe, patience. You will have work" The Admiral said trying to calm Vobe down.

"I know more about you that you actually think I do. I know your parents were murdered by Desert Brawlers on Tatooine. I know you are exceptional with your carbines and pistols. There is little I don't know about you my friend."

"I am not your friend and I want the truth and nothing else."

"Ok, sit down then."

Vobe walked back to the chair and took a seat.

"Ok, the truth. I want your help Vobe. I have a problem I wish for you to help me solve."

"What kind of problem?"

"A problem with one of my staff," the Admiral replied.

"Well deal with it. I don't see how I can be of help."

"Yes, you can help. You see, I believe I have a defector within my ranks."

"I see."

"The Empire cannot have another Carlist Rieekan on its hands."

"Rieekan defected?"

"Not quite. It's a long story, but we cannot suffer that kind of embarrassment again."

"I'm afraid to ask how I come into all this."

"Well, I want you to fix this problem for me. Well, for the Empire."

"Fix? You mean assassinate?"

Sarguillo raised his eyebrows and nodded accordingly.

"Well I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I only kill those who have done harm to someone," Vobe said as he stood up.

"He will do harm. He will hurt the Empire if he successfully defects to the Rebel Alliance. I cannot allow that to happen."

"Why don't you kill him yourself? You know, make it look like an accident. Make his shuttle crash or something. I know you can do that." Vobe said as he started to pace back and forth. He stopped as the Admiral began speaking once more.

"That would be too suspicious. I need something to happen less conspicuous than an _accidental_ shuttle crash."

"What is in it for me if I do this dirty deed?"

"The Empire will pay you for your actions. One million credits are yours if you complete this task efficiently."

"One million credits?"

Vobe had a stunned look on his face. _One million? Could he be serious?_ The highest payout he had ever received was four hundred thousand credits. This one million payout would make the payment for Neixack look like pocket change.

"What if I refuse to take this job?"

"Then you will never leave this ship."

"Ah, I guess I have no choice do I?"

"Not really," the Admiral said with a straight face.

"Ok, I'll do it, but on two conditions. First, I do not want the Empire's goons following me like a common criminal."

"Why would I have them follow you around? You saw how easy it was for me to find you. If I found you before I will find you again. Now what is the second condition?"

"Second, I want the money paid up front."

"No."

"Ok, half then. I need money for weapons and supplies."

"Ok, five hundred thousand in advance. It will be in your account when you land back on Corellia. You have my word."

"One more question, if he is on your staff, shouldn't he be on board this ship?

"He has gone missing."

"Ah, that's why you simply can't have him court-martialed. Any idea where he could be?"

"No clue to his whereabouts. Now I suppose you want his background information."

"Yes, it always helps," Vobe said with a smile.

The Admiral handed him a small disk.

"Everything thing about him is on that disk. His family history, military record, and everything about him is there. I want to remind you that _any_ death should not be traced back to me."

A small buzzing noise came from his desk. Sarguillo pressed a button. "Yes?"

"Admiral, your next appointment is here," said a voice from the desk.

"Thank you, Captain. Show him in."

The door opened ad a young Imperial Captain entered followed by an unknown individual.

"Captain Nawek, escort Vobe back to Coronet City," he said to the Captain, then he glanced back to Vobe, "Thank you, Vobe. If you would excuse me, I have other business to attend to. I will expect rapid and efficient results."

"I will be as swift as I can."

As Vobe stood up and walked towards the door, he gave a small glance to the individual who was Sarguillo's next appointment. He was medium build, short spiked blonde hair, a sense of familiarity passed through Vobe as he looked at the individual but he ignored it. The Captain escorted Vobe through the bowels of the ship passing hundreds of Stormtroopers, Imperial Officers and pilots. As they walked through the ship, Vobe said not one word to the crew aboard who gave him suspicious looks as they passed. When they arrived to the docking bay, he noticed a shuttle was waiting to take him back to Coronet.

During the shuttle ride back to the city, Vobe sat in the co-pilot's chair without saying a word for the fifteen minute journey. "Is the Admiral an understanding person?" Vobe asked the young Captain as they began landing procedures to Coronet Starport.

"He can be, if you stay on his good side that is."

"Let's hope I stay on his good side," Vobe replied with a hint of sarcasm.

"I've heard stories of you."

Vobe gave a small look to the young man. "You have?"

"Yes. I am an admirer of your work."

"Thank you. Um…"

"Captain Nawek. Owana Nawek." There was a slight pause then the Captain asked, "Have you heard any news of the Rebellion?"

"None. Why so interested? Does the Admiral not tell you anything?"

"Surprisingly, no. I was just curious."

Vobe sensed that there was more than curiosity that was in the Captain's mind. Surely the Admiral shared information with him. The Admiral would have more than one defector if he did not watch out.

As the ship landed, Vobe thanked the Captain for his time and exited the shuttle. He walked the five hundred meters to the medical center to see if Ekoospiat was hurt badly.

"Tell me, what did he want?" Ekoospiat said.

"I'll tell you about it when it is all over."

"Find me at my house on Naboo. I need to relax."

After helping Ekoospiat back to his ship, _The Dynamo_, Vobe walked though the massive crowds at the starport to _The Korregidor_ and began to get ready her for lift off.

If this was indeed as hard of a mission to have a one million credit payout, Vobe knew that he would need to get some new supplies and he knew exactly where to go.


	4. The Two Merchants

Chapter IV  
The Two merchants

As the ship sped through hyperspace, Vobe sat in his cockpit with his datapad in his hand reviewing military information about Captain Isea Ost, the man he had been hired to assassinate. _Could this man really be a defector?_ Vobe thought. This man had an impeccable military record with the Imperial Navy.

Captain Ost had been born on Naboo, but raised on Rori, a small moon of the planet. He had graduated from the academy in the top of his class. He was a skilled pilot, an excellent marksman, and a skilled melee fighter. _This is starting to be worth one million credits._ Maybe with some new weapons and armor he could accomplish this daunting task.

The cockpit's dash panel began to emit a low beeping, stating that the ship would soon automatically decelerate from hyperspace into real space.

"About time," Vobe said as the ship slowed down revealing the planet of Dantooine.

Dantooine is a wild and perilous planet, as most are. They were only three main landing ports on the entire planet, and Vobe's destination was nowhere near any of them. The lavender green plains rolled until the planet's horizon. The few mountain ranges on the planet contained deep caves which housed the Janta tribe, a primitive civilization on the planet. The Janta were always war with the Mokk and the Dantari tribes.

The fauna of Dantooine ranges from small dog-sized huurtons to house-sized thunes and the dual horned bols, both of which are extremely difficult to kill alone due to their thick, leathery skin. There were also pikets, tall, long-necked creatures that strode gracefully across the plains, but were surprisingly easy to kill. There the deadly voitor lizards that used their short stubby legs to full speed and could easily out run a man.

But none of these bothered Vobe.

As _The Korregidor_ entered the planet's atmosphere, Vobe entered the coordinates to the small town of Narsille's Edge. There were few settlements on the planet but none were larger than three dozen buildings. Narsille's Edge contained about thirty six structures and was the largest town on Dantooine. The founder and mayor was a human named Draggoo Vexus.

The only spot he could locate was six hundred meters away from the town. As the ship powered down, Vobe walked down the ramp and saw a herd of pikets scatter from the sight of the starship. He pressed a sequence of numbers on a small number pad next to the door and the ramp rose back up onto the ship. The security code allowed only him to gain access to his ship. Vobe now began his walk to the town.

As he walked towards the town, he noticed the town was alive with activity. Many citizens and visitors gave Vobe strange looks as he walked through the town. The town was build with accessibility in mind. The houses and gardens were built in lines with the streets intersecting at perfect angles. It was one of the most well thought-out villages he had visited.

Vobe decided he would get new armor first. The best armorsmith this side of the galaxy operated out of Narsille's Edge. His shop was located close to the interior of the town; in fact, it was built between the city hall and the town's cantina.

As Vobe passed several newly installed gardens as he strode through the town. He noticed all different kinds of swoops and speeders buzz by him. Some of them were coming a bit too close for comfort. As the cantina became visible, he knew he was almost there.

Vobe opened the door to the shop of Savek Igo only to see no one in the shop. He could hear the humming coming from the crafting machines in the rear of the shop. Hopefully, his friend Savek was in the store.

"Savek! Are you here?" Vobe shouted.

A man appeared in the doorway in the rear of the shop.

"Quit shouting. You will scare away all my customers," the man said laughing.

"What customers? There is no one here," Vobe replied, "How are you doing Sav?"

"I'm doing well, just wish business was better. No one is buying anything today. That is, unless, you will."

"That's why I am here. I need a set of composite armor."

"You are just in time; I am about to finish what I think is the best set of composite armor I have created."

"Oh, really? How so?"

"Well," Savek continued, "I have been all over the Galaxy trying to find the best materials. Togoria, Anoth, Ruuria. I got the best resources from those systems. I have even inserted scales from an ancient krayt dragon I found dead on Tatooine."

"I hope you got it from it when it was dead." Vobe chuckled.

"Anyway Vobe, it is my toughest and most resistant set of armor so far. I just need to change the color to your specifications."

"Black will do fine."

"Will do, my friend. It'll be ready in a little while. Did you come for anything else or just my armor?"

"No, I need some new weapons so I need to go and pay a visit to Ikrace."

"He just got back from Coruscant."

"I guess I will go stop by and visit with him."

Suddenly the door opened and a tall, dark skinned figure walked into the shop. His face was worn as if he had just had a battle. The man's long blonde hair was tied in ponytail except for two strands of hair hanging in front of his eyes.

"Well look who decided to come and visit you sack of bantha fodder. You should never have come back," the man said.

He walked over to Vobe and started laughing and gave him a hug.

"How have you been, Vobe?" he said smiling.

"I have been good, Ikrace. How about you?"

"Well the usual," he responded. "Hey Sav, I'm gonna steal him away from you for a little while."

"Go ahead; I need to finish his armor." Savek replied as he stepped back into the rear of his shop.

"I need some weapons, Ikrace," Vobe said.

"Let's see what I have for you."

The two friends began to walk the one hundred meters to the weapon shop, passing the city hall, several small gardens, and a few holonet news terminals.

"How was Coruscant?" Vobe asked as they arrived at the door of the shop.

"It was busy and crowded as usual. I don't mind it. I am usually in and out faster than you can say 'hyperdrive.'" Ikrace said with a hint of a chuckle. "So what brings you to my shop?"

"A job. My EE3 is in very bad condition."

"Well, let's see," Ikrace said as he rummaged through cabinets and chests throughout his shop. "Anything in particular you want or do you want another EE3?

"Well, what do you got?" Vobe asked with hope.

"Well, I made a very nice Elite Carbine. The bad thing is, I have to find it," Ikrace said laughing.

Ikrace never was an organized person but that did not matter since he was one of the deadliest men Vobe knew. Although he made weapons and helped sell them, he could certainly use them. His special skills; however, were with melee weapons. Ikrace was the best skilled melee fighter he knew. He had been known to win every fight with a sword, pole, or a maul. His specialty was the Scythe blade. Only a few knew where to get the rare schematic, but Ikrace had it, built it and taught himself to fight with it. However, he only fought when he had to. He would rather sell weapons than kill with them.

"Ah! Found it. Here it is," he said as he pulled the most elegant carbine out of a large sand-colored cabinet and handed it to Vobe.

"It is light. Even lighter than my old EE3," Vobe said pleasantly.

"I made it out of the best materials I have come across throughout my travels. Most of the resources I got while mining on Ord Radama."

"How much for it?"

"For you, sixty thousand."

"Sixty thousand, eh? How much would you normally sell it for?"

"Probably around one hundred twenty thousand credits."

"I guess I should feel lucky. Any special abilities?"

"It has a fast rate of fire, excellent range, and if you are close enough to your target, it can actually set it on fire."

"That's a nice trick," Vobe said with a smile.

"I strive for the best," Ikrace said with confidence.

"What pistols do you have available?" Vobe continued. "I love carbines but pistols I have to use at close range."

"Let's see, I have a few modified Imperial Scout Blasters, two slightly worn Republic Blasters used by the Queen's security force on Naboo, and I have one Scatter Pistol."

Vobe's eyes opened wide with contentment. "Oh, a scatter pistol. I'll take that. I love weapons with acid damage. How much will this cost me my friend?"

"Thirty thousand. These are specially modified weapons, that is why they're a little more expensive then you would find any where else in the galaxy."

"Ikrace, you are the only weaponsmith I buy from. I can trust you to build me a reliable weapon."

"Well, I don't build much any more. Or-Ci and I are working together now. He builds and I sell."

"How is Or-Ci doing?"

"Doing good," Ikrace said amiably, "He is off mining on Ansion. He should to be back anytime. He left two days ago."

"I really can't stay any longer. I have a job to be done."

"I really don't see how you can do that profession. Killing people in cold blood is inhuman. Luckily, all I do is sell the weapon to those who kill. I do not have regret selling weapons to those murderers."

"Well, I take jobs for those who have been harmed." _However this job was different._ Vobe thought as he continued. "Well, I would love to sit here and discuss human morals but I have a task at hand." Vobe handed Ikrace a small disk that contained an account number to remove the ninety thousand credits. "I must bid you goodbye my friend. I will return soon and we will hunt some bols."

"Sounds like a good idea. I hear bol hides are currently worth one hundred credits per unit on the market."

"Alright, I will look forward to it. I need to stop by Savek's and pick up my armor." The two said their goodbyes and Vobe stepped out of the adobe brick building and started walking back to Savek's Armor Emporium.

As he entered the shop again, he saw Savek packing the newly created composite armor set into a large container. "I thought it would be easier to transport this way," he said laughing.

"Always thinking, Sav. How much do I owe you?"

"A hundred seventy-five thousand credits."

"A reasonable price. Thanks again," Vobe said as he handed him a small disk similar to the one he have Ikrace. "Goodbye Savek"

"Goodbye Vobe. Be careful out there."

"Oh, you know me," he replied with a small smile.

Vobe began to lift the metal container and carry it out of the shop and back to _The Korregidor_.


	5. Preparations

Chapter V

Preparations

After Vobe placed his set of armor in a special storage compartment, he walked into his cockpit and noticed that a message had been recorded while he was in the town. He walked to the pilot's chair and sat down and pressed a small white button on the console. A small holographic image appeared of Admiral Sarguillo. The image was scratchy but the transmission was still clear.

"I certainly hope you are using your time wisely. Imperial spies have tracked him to Socorro. I certainly hope as a bounty hunter you know where this is. When the task is done, contact me on this frequency." The Admiral's face got very serious. "I do not accept failure."

The hologram faded out.

"Socorro? Now I now where to begin," Vobe said as he began the entering the sequence of buttons that would start the ship's engines. Before too long, he was flying out of Dantooine's atmosphere. Vobe retrieved the coordinates for Socorro and inputted them into the ship's navicomputer.

"Here is where the excitement begins," Vobe chuckled as the ship shot into hyperspace.

Vobe couldn't understand why the Empire would hire a bounty hunter to assassinate a captain of the Imperial Navy. Why couldn't Sarguillo let any of the assassinations be traced back to him? Surely high-ranking Imperial Officers have done some kind of dirty deed in their service to the Emperor. The Emperor would possibly encourage double-dealing to his officers. _So why was he hired?_ Vobe couldn't understand. _Why did Sarguillo tell me where Captain Ost was? He had just told me hours earlier that he had no idea where he was_. Something just did not add up. But a job worth one million credits was too good to pass up.

As Vobe waited for the ship to decelerate out of hyperspace, he continued reviewing background information about Captain Ost. While examining more of his family history, something stuck out. His parents had been murdered also. When he was ten years old, his parents had traveled to Muunilist to gather information about the recent battle there during the Clone Wars. After gathering their information about the battle, they got back to their room at the hotel and there were three men waiting for them. Isea took the loss incredibly hard. He went to live with is uncle on Rori who taught him how to mine for spices on the moon. When he was eighteen, he traveled back to Naboo and entered the Imperial Academy and began his career as an Imperial Officer.

"We have something in common; however, it's not good."

Vobe laid his head back on the pilot's chair and tried to sleep. He wanted to get all the rest he could because he did not know what kind of fight Captain Isea Ost would put up. He hated sleeping. He would constantly have nightmares about his parent's murders. They had been dead for twenty years. He would vision himself in that sand dune standing over the bodies. He would dream that a masked man would shoot him just like he did his parents. But they were just dreams. They didn't have any significance.

Vobe awoke with a jump to the sound of the dash panel beeping. He rubbed his face and wondered how long he had been asleep. He was glad to be awake. He had another dream. It was just like the others and he was glad it was over. The ship slowed down and Socorro exploded into view.

"Socorro. Why do my targets always like to pick desert planets," Vobe said as he let out a sigh.

Socorro was a hot wasteland planet that had solid black sand. The Empire would be a hated presence here. It was a dangerous planet whose inhabitants were mostly thieves, bandits and other gangsters who liked to attack nearby shipping routes. Vobe would have to watch his back.

He pressed several buttons on the dash panel and began to read the information that was revealed on the screen. "One settlement. Ostium Vepres. Coordinates 539, -2493." _The Korregidor_ flew through the atmosphere on the way to the tiny settlement. "I had better land on the outskirts. The last thing I want to do is attract attention to myself."

Before too long, the settlement appeared on the solid-black horizon. He flew the ship over the settlement a few times to observe the amount of people and number of buildings. There were only seven structures. Hopefully he could find this Captain before anything bad happened. The ship powered down one thousand meters from the planet's settlement. He would have to walk quite a way but the long walk would allow him to examine the planet's features.

The brand new set of armor was tight fitting at first but after a few minutes it began to feel more comfortable. The boots, leggings, arm pieces chest plate, and the helmet were all solid black. This was perfect for Socorro. The black sand would allow him to blend in almost perfectly if he was to have to camouflage himself. Hopefully it was as resistant as Savek was boasting. The armor set was not as heavy as his previous set of composite armor. This was mainly due to the discovery of new resources throughout the Galaxy. However, resources and production costs did not interest him at all. He was a fighter, not a crafter.

He grabbed his holster and tied it to his hip and slid the scatter pistol snug in to it. He removed and replaced it several times as if he was brandishing it towards a target. Vobe wanted to make sure that he could extract the pistol safely and quickly during combat.

Everything was ready. Vobe grabbed his new Elite Carbine Rifle and picked up his helmet and began to walk towards the ship's door. He pressed a small button and the ramp lowered to the sandy ground. The ramp's edge sank into the black sand when it was fully extended. Within moments, an extremely rotten smell began to linger into the ship's cabin and Vobe deduced that it was only the planet's atmosphere that had such a putrid smell. He cautiously stepped down onto the ramp and surveyed the landscape before continuing. He had never traveled to Socorro before, so he knew nothing of the geology of the planet. As he stepped onto the ground he felt his foot sink into the sand a few inches. He still held on to the ramp's rail for safety. As he stepped completely on to the planet's surface he continued to sink up to his ankles but no further. He gave a sigh of relief and turned and entered the numeric code to cause the ramp to rise back up unto the ship.

Vobe knelt down and let some of the sand run through his fingers. This black sand was eerily familiar but Vobe could not place the memory. The sand on every planet was different in some aspects, but this sand was peculiar. He dropped the leftover sand in his hand, donned his helmet and began to walk toward the settlement; his feet sinking up to his ankles with each stride. Vobe hoped he would not be attacked with each step as he would not have the proper advantage to fight.

The small settlement was on the horizon and slowly became more visible with every step across the bleak landscape. He hoped he could find this Imperial defector without attracting attention to himself or his mark.


	6. Ostium Vepres

Chapter VI

Ostium Vepres

Ostium Vepres was smaller than it looked when Vobe had flown overhead. The streets were populated with traders, smugglers, and hunters passing though the system. They gave fleeting looks as Vobe entered the colony's perimeter. He walked through the dusty streets with extreme caution eyeing the structures cautiously trying to figure what each one was. As he neared the largest of the buildings he noticed that the door had a small sign on it. He walked towards the door and noticed the sign said:

The   
Settler's Cove

This must have been a tavern of sorts. _There was only one way to find out_. Vobe thought as he slowly pushed the door open and casually stepped over the threshold. Upon first glance, the patrons were of every species he had seen throughout his travels in the Galaxy. Most of them were heavily armored and gave Vobe only a glance before they continued with their drinks and discussions.

The gentleman behind the bar was of medium build and by the noticeable horns from his head he was a Zabrak. His purple tattooed face was aged and wrinkled although he still looked rather young. When he noticed Vobe, who was still standing in the doorway, he glared boorishly at him slowly moving his eyes up and down examining the armor with much interest.

"Excuse me," said a voice from behind Vobe. He stepped aside and let the stranger enter the tavern.

Vobe continued to walk slowly towards the bar. When Vobe reached the counter, the bartender rudely asked, "May I help you."

"Yes, I'd like a drink."

"Are you going to tell me what kind or am I going to have to guess?" the bartender said sarcastically.

"Excuse me," Vobe replied with as much sarcasm as he had gotten. "Do you have any Vasarian Brandy?"

The bartender gave a small acknowledgement and walked to the back room and came out with a large bottle filled with a dark red liquid. He walked back to the counter and kneeled down and grabbed a cup from a small shelf below the counter. He placed the glass on top of the counter and filled the cup halfway full. "That will be fifteen credits," the bartender said.

"Fifteen eh? Rather Expensive for Vasarian Brandy."

"Well if you want to scour the entire planet for a better price, you are more than welcome."

"No, no. I'm alright." Vobe said as he continued eying the man up and down

"Is there something else you need?" the man said rudely.

"Possibly," Vobe replied. "I am looking for someone."

"Sorry, I cannot help you there."

Vobe slid a small disk across the counter as he stated, "Are you sure? I will pay you if you help me. Five thousand credits are yours if you give me the information I require."

The bartender had a thoughtful look on his face. Vobe knew he was debating whether to take the money or not. After a few moments, he said, "Five thousand? What's in it for you?"

"Well, you help me find who I am looking for and you are five thousand credits richer and you never see me again."

"Deal," the man said as he nodded inconspicuously.

"Good. Is there somewhere quiet we can talk?" Vobe asked as he indicated the loudness of the tavern.

"Follow me." The bartender said to Vobe. "Maita, cover my spot will ya?" he then said as he threw his towel to an aqua colored Twi'lek on the far side of the counter. He walked around the bar and though the crowd in the building. He stopped Vobe and leaned in to tell him something, "We'll go to the adjacent building." Vobe nodded as they continued their walk. The man opened the door and began to casually walk across the street followed by Vobe who was carefully looking in every direction. As he approached the door he entered the numerical password and the door slid open.

The building was utterly quiet and vacant of people. The walked across the room and sat down, opposite each other at a table. "How can I help you find this person?" The bartender said.

"I am looking for an Imperial Captain. He has been tracked to Socorro and I have to find him."

"So you can kill him?" the bartender said coldly.

"That his none of your concern. My business is my business."

"Agreed."

"Do you know of any Imperials on this planet? He will be traveling with company I would assume. The man's name is Isea Ost." Vobe said as he handed his datapad to the bartender.

He grabbed the datapad and glanced at the screen. "I have indeed seen this man, and he is still here in this colony. He and his men are located a few buildings down."

"How many men are with him?"

"Only two others. When they were in the bar two days ago, I believed I caught their names. Dashal Freestar and Jerryfar Du'cana are their names."

"Were they still in the Imperial uniform?"

"Oh no. They would get them killed. No, they were just trying to blend in. Not very well in my opinion," the bartender said with a chuckle.

Vobe gave a small smile. "Listen, I thank you or all your help. Is there anyway you can delay their departure from this planet?"

"Not in my power, but I know the person who can." He paused a few moments before continuing. "I must get back to the tavern before I am missed too much."

"I appreciate your help again," Vobe said as the both stood up and began to walk to the door. Vobe reached and pressed a small button next to the door and they both exited the small building. The two men began to walk the small distance to the bar together. As the neared the door there was a lout shot and the bartender fell to the ground at the foot of the door.

Within seconds, Vobe had spun around and dropped to the black ground. The first thing he noticed the people in the street scattered like flies. He scanned the street and saw the mysterious assailant run behind a neighboring building. The edge of a giant rifle was sticking out around the corner. Vobe jumped to his feet and dove behind several large crates sitting on the street as another shot rang out hitting the spot where he just was. Obviously, the first shot had been meant for him. The bartender was just an innocent victim.

Another shot was heard and Vobe saw the corner of one of the crates explode in pieces. He slowly peered around the opposite end of the crate, and saw the rifle slowly move behind the building. The assailant's head slowly appeared around the corner of the building. Quickly, Vobe grabbed his scatter pistol and fired a shot at the person who quickly ducked back behind the building as the corner exploded in dust.

Vobe slowly stood up and began to gradually walk along the wall of the tavern examining every direction. However, Vobe did not realize that the unknown assailant had made his way around behind Vobe.

When Vobe had checked behind him again he saw the figure raise his rifle. Suddenly, there was a shot and Vobe fell to the ground as did the attacker. _What had happened?_ He looked up to see the mysterious man roll from his stomach and onto his back and move no more. Vobe got up and began to slowly walk towards the body with his pistol drawn. As he got closer, he noticed that the man's top part of his shoulder was torn. _Who had shot him?_ He knelt and grabbed the helmet and slid it off, and fell backward with shock.

It was the man he saw as he left Sarguillo's office.

"His name was Jaeron," someone said nearby.

Vobe stood up and turned around and was face-to-face with Isea Ost. However, he was guarded by Dashal Freestar and Jerryfar Du'cana with their pistols aimed at Vobe.

5


	7. The Truth

Chapter VII  
The Truth

The two men stared at each other for several short moments. Captain Ost was tall, lean and muscular. His short, auburn hair fluttered with the breeze as the wind blew between the buildings. He had indeed dropped his Imperial uniform; however, he looked as if he had not yet fully joined the Rebel Alliance.

Dashal Freestar was taller than Vobe. His short spiked blonde hair stood motionless as the wind moved small amounts of black dust through out the streets of Ostium Vepres. He looked like he would put up a fight, if Vobe was to attack Captain Ost; however Vobe knew any attack on him would be useless, because he would not stand a chance against three armed men.

The last man, Jerryfar Du'cana was bald with a light black goatee. He was Vobe's height and build. He was also no longer in Imperial uniform. He was now donning black slacks, a white shirt, solid black boots and a black gunman's duster which flapped in the wind.

"Now, will you drop your weapons, Vobe?" Isea said as he examined Vobe carefully from head to toe.

Vobe did as he was told as he said, "How do you know who I am?"

"Why else would a bounty hunter of your caliber be all the way out here on Socorro? This is a haven for crooks and criminals."

"Maybe I was on a job."

"I know you are. You are here for me. I am not stupid. I am surprised it took Sarguillo this long to send someone."

"How did you know I was here for you?"

"Because of him," Isea said as he pointed to the body of Jaeron still lying in the street.

"But how do you know who he is or should I say was," Vobe said with a slight chuckle.

"Usually, if Jaeron is fully armored and armed, then he is usually on Sarguillo's bill."

"He was here to kill me?" Vobe said with an astonished look.

Dashal broke in the conversation saying, "Did you think you were going to receive full payment for killing someone as respectable as Captain Ost? How much did he offer?"

"One million," Vobe replied.

"One million?" Jerryfar said with his eyes open with amazement. "Maybe I will take him up on that offer." He continued laughing.

"A new record for him," Isea said as he examined Jaeron's body.

"But he did pay me half up front," Vobe continued.

"It is probably no longer in your account," Jerryfar said.

"You've been set up," Dashal said.

Vobe slowly walked to the wall and slid down sitting on the ground with hundreds of thoughts running throughout his mind. _It was all a set-up. It had been formulated since square-one. It was a trap since I landed on Corellia._ "How do you know all this?" Vobe said to Isea.

Isea walked over to Vobe and began to speak. "Let's talk somewhere else."

Inside a nearby building, Vobe sat in a chair with his head in his hands trying to contemplate the events of the evening. The fact that he had been set up was the only thing he was thinking about. Jerryfar and Dashal stood along the wall watching Isea pace behind Vobe, who raised his head as Isea began to speak.

"For months I have discovered certain truths about my former superior. His torture of innocent civilians for information. His executions of those who he feels are not working up to their expectations. These are just a few of the injustices I have uncovered. There are hundreds of things that the Empire does that will change if the Rebel Alliance wins this war. Did you know that the Empire funds the Trandoshan enslavement of the Wookiees on Kashyyyk?"

"I knew about Kashyyyk."

"I cannot stand idly by as the Empire crudely mistreats the systems of this former republic. Now, I know that your parents were murdered when you were young. As were mine; however,"

Vobe cut him off before he could continue, "My parent's murders have nothing to do with the situation at hand, Ost."

"I am afraid to tell you it does"

Vobe's face changed not a muscle. _What is he talking about? What do my parent's murders have to do with all this?_ "What are you talking about?

"Well if my information is correct, you parents were murdered by a gang on Tatooine close to the palace of Jabba the Hutt. Am I correct?"

"Yes." Vobe said softly.

"Then I'm guessing that you never discovered very much information about the killings?"

"No."

"But you would like to know who was behind it all?"

"Of course I would, but why should I believe anything coming from you?"

"I didn't say you had to believe it, I am just telling you what I have uncovered. You can believe it if you want."

"Tell me what you know," Vobe said as he sat back in the chair with much curiosity on his face.

Isea walked to a small table and sat down on top of it as he began to explain the murder of Vobe's parents to him. "Twenty five years ago, there was a murder in a cantina in Bestine on Tatooine. The man was a top associate of Jabba."

"Okay," Vobe said as he began to slowly comprehend the story that was being explained to him.

"The murder was witnessed by two people…" Isea said as he looked directly into Vobe's eyes.

"My parents," Vobe said softly.

"Correct," Isea said as he continued. "The murderer realized that if Jabba learned of the murder of his associate, he would exact his revenge. He knew your parents where friendly with the crime lord. He would have figured that your parents would inform Jabba of the murder which would put a death mark on his head. So instead of running planet to planet always looking behind him, he decided on a simpler method."

"Having my parents murdered. What ever happened to the murderer?"

"I'll get to that in a moment. However, his brother became my superior."

Vobe's mouth opened with surprise. "Sarguillo?" Isea nodded in agreement as Vobe continued. "But, I still don't understand why Sarguillo wants me dead."

"Eventually as it always happens, Jabba gets his way. Deja, the Admiral's brother, was captured by a few of Jabba's minions and brought back to the crime lord. Jabba tortured Deja for days before feeding him to his rancor. The Admiral personally blamed you, the sole survivor of the ambush that his brother rapidly organized. He felt that you were responsible for his brother's torture and death."

"So he hired Jaeron…" Vobe said softly.

"Precisely. He hired him to get revenge on his brother and to take me out which would get us both off his list."

Vobe stood up and began to pace. After a few moments, he let out a furious scream which made Dashal and Jerryfar jump and grab for their weapons in response. Isea stood up and watched Vobe as he angrily kicked the table's leg which collapsed.

"Vobe!" Isea said as he tried to get his attention. "Listen, I understand your anger. I know you are a good fighter, I know of your abilities. Come with us to meet with the Alliance High Command."

"Why should I want to join the Alliance? All I want to do is get Sarguillo." Vobe said angrily.

"We can do that. I know his schedule." Isea said with a smile. Vobe stared at him trying to decide what to do. "Listen, I know this is a tough decision. If you join with us, you can hurt more than just the Admiral, you could help cause a rupture into the Empire itself. You are worth a lot to the Alliance if you join, Vobe. You are more important than you think. Together we can recruit more people into this struggling coalition and end this Civil War."

"What if I do not join? Are you or your fellows over there going to kill me?" Vobe said as he nodded to Dashal and Jerryfar who stood watching.

"If you do not join, Vobe, I do not hold it against you. I will have no harm befall upon you, however; since you didn't kill me, do not doubt that the Admiral will spare your life. He is sure to kill you since you have failed to do what he asked."

"So either way, I'm doomed." Vobe said with a cheery, sarcastic sound.

"Not necessarily. If the Alliance wins this war, things will definitely change for the better in this Galaxy." Isea paused for a moment. "Listen, if you decide to come with us to the Alliance, meet us in the rear of the cantina in two hours."

Isea walked over to Dashal and Jerryfar and said something Vobe could not hear. Isea seemed like a man who kept his word. Vobe watched as the three men walked to the door. As the first two exited the building, Isea looked back through the door. "Two hours." He then walked out the door and Vobe was all alone in the small building.


	8. A New Path

Chapter VIII  
A New Path

The tavern was alive with conversation. The waitress behind the counter was crying at the death of the bartender who was her companion and coworker, who was shot as he began to re-enter the cantina. Patrons everywhere inquired about his death. Only a few knew of the entire story.

The three men sat in the back of the tavern at a table that was hardly big enough to hold their plate of Vegeparsine and their drinks. They sat and discussed the events of the evening: the murder of an innocent bartender, caught in the middle of crossfire; the death of a deadly assassin, Jaeron Adu; the possibility of another recruit into the Alliance; as well as the plan for the next few days.

"Do you think he is going to show?" Jerryfar inquired as he sat eating pieces of Vegeparsine.

"I am optimistic that he will make the right choice, Jerry," Isea said as he took a sip of his brandy.

"You mean come with us."

'Yes. He would be a great asset if he joins the Alliance. He's got potential. Captain Vexus would be very grateful for any help in this struggling army. However, he only has a few minutes left before our transport leaves to take us to Metellos."

"Metellos? That's not too close to Coruscant and the other core worlds?" Dashal wondered.

"Bothan spies have reported that the system has a rather surprising low amount of Imperial activity. We should be alright. We'll be hidden on a transport so we should be able to sneak by easily and the population of Metellos is nine hundred billion. So I think we can hide rather without difficulty."

"I hope," Jerryfar stated. "It is a big risk Captain, being so close to the Core Worlds."

"I did not pick the Rebels' temporary hideout."

"I know you don't. I am just stating my opinion." Isea gave him a grim look. "How much longer will we have to wait for this guy? His deadline is almost up."

"Don't worry. I expect he should be here in a few moments."

"I hope you are right Isea, I am growing impatient," Dashal said with a restless voice. He began to play with the empty cup which had held Accarragm.

Ten minutes had passed and Isea and his men were almost done with their drinks and snacks. It was almost time for the transport to leave, and the men were growing impatient.

"It has been two hours gentlemen. It looks like our man has decided to go the other way. So we," Isea said as he was cut off.

"Captain, look," Dashal interrupted as he pointed towards the cantina's door. Vobe had just passed through the door and slowly began walking towards Isea and his men. The cantina's patrons began to eye Vobe as he stepped up to Isea.

"Okay, let's go," Vobe said as he stood in front of Isea. "We have no time to waste. I would like to leave this system as quickly as possible."

"Good, so are we. We have a transport waiting to take us to Metellos."

"Metellos, near the Deep Core? Ok, but I'd rather take my ship," he said reluctantly. "There is seating enough for you three."

"It is a big risk Vobe. If your ship is searched and boarded, all would be lost."

"Well if we encounter any trouble, I have one of the fastest navicomputers available. We can hyperspace system to system."

"Sounds like a cowardly way," Jerryfar said.

Vobe looked at Jerryfar directly in the eyes. "It maybe a cowardly way, but it would get you there alive."

"It is risky but it will work," Isea said reluctantly.

"Good. I landed about one thousand meters southeast from here. Are you ready to leave now?"

"Yes, except for one minor thing."

"What would that be?"

"Got to pay for our drinks," Isea said with a chuckle. He got a few credits out of his pocket and began to walk towards the counter where the waitress was still crying. Vobe saw him give her the credits and say a few words to her which made her give a smile. He saw her mouth the words "Thank you" as Isea turned around and began to walk back. "Now, we can leave."

The four men began to walk through the cantina door. A majority of the cantina's patrons eyed the company as they exited the building. When they arrived outside, they noticed that a small sandstorm had started recently. The solid black sand blew through the tiny settlement like smoke from a burning pile of trash. The air still smelt very putrid, but luckily Vobe wouldn't have to smell it much longer. The sandstorm was fortunate enough to blow in the direction they were walking so no sand would get in their eyes.

Step by step they gradually trekked the one thousand meters to Vobe's ship and with each step the four men sank up to their ankles in the black sand. He could notice the ship on the horizon. "Almost there!" Vobe yelled as he points toward the ship in the distance. He looked back and saw Isea give a hand signal meaning he understood.

When they finally reached the ship, Vobe opened the ship's door and the men began to climb aboard one by one. Isea climbed in first, followed by Jerryfar and Dashal. When they had safely gotten inside Vobe climbed aboard and closed the door and activated the pressure seal on the door.

"This looks like a Carrack-class cruiser, only smaller." Dashal said as he began to examine the ship's interior.

"Yes, I had it specially designed. It is a miniature version of a Carrack. Instead of needing a crew of one thousand to operate, this one needs just one. I have weapons, storage, and tiny cargo bay for my swoop, and a few other modifications."

"What kind of modifications?"

"Well, usually on a Carrack-class light cruiser, the armor around the ionization reactor is light, I have upgraded the armor to Corellian Plastisteel. It's light but it gives it good protection. The engines have been upgraded to a Novaldex 'GRB-1138' Engine. I also have a Koensayr Deluxe Elite B. booster which gives me an extra four hundred fifty seven to my speed."

"Not bad."

"Yes, it is my home away from home" Vobe explained.

"Where is your home exactly?" pondered Jerryfar.

"I used to live on Corellia but I have a since moved to a small settlement on my birth planet of Tatooine. I am not fond of desert planets but it is home to me," Vobe explained.

"I have never been there. How is it?"

"Sandy."

"Well, of course."

"Go strap yourselves in. I am about to lift off," Vobe said as he sat down in the pilot's chair and began pressing the buttons that started the engines.

The engines began to hum with power and he could see a light blue glow behind them. He felt himself sink into the chair as the ship began to lift off the ground. He could see Ostium Vepres in the distance in the moon's light. Vobe was happy to leave this planet. Much had happened here that he didn't expect. He finally discovered the full mystery surrounding his parent's murder. He had decided to give into his sympathy and join the Alliance. But the only thing on his mind right now was to kill Sarguillo. It would be tough but with the right help he could accomplish it.

Socorro's clouds began to engulf the ship as it flew though them. The atmosphere was thinning and all that was visible was the black emptiness of space. Vobe began to notice more things in space now, space debris, ship parts, asteroid clusters and a small space station in the distance.

Vobe spun his chair and faced the navicomputer. He began to input the coordinates of Metellos. A small map appeared on the screen and he finalized the position for the system's hyperspace point. "Only a few moments now," he said to himself as he rotated the chair back to the main dashpanel. He reached down and pressed a little black button and spoke into a small circular speaker above it, "Jumping into lightspeed now, so get ready for it."

Vobe released the button and seconds later the ship shot out of Socorro's system.


	9. Derivations

Chapter IX

Derivations

Vobe watched as the blue streaks flew over the cockpit's window. His life had taken an unexpected turn. He wondered if he was pursuing the right path.

Metellos was half-way across the galaxy from Socorro, located extremely close to Coruscant, the central system in the Galaxy. Vobe hoped he would not attract ay attention to himself as he neared the core worlds. He would have to make sure that no Imperial ships would dock with _The Korregidor_ or his passengers would surely be dead as well as him, although he wasn't officially part of the Rebellion, but that wouldn't matter to Sarguillo.

Sarguillo.

He would certainly be on the lookout for Vobe more than ever. Until he dealt with Sarguillo, he would have to look behind him. Before he could deal with his problems later, he had to get these three officers to Metellos.

Vobe stood up from the pilot's chair and walked back to the lounge area of his ship. "We ought to be in the system in about fifteen minutes," he said as entered the ship's den. "Would you guys like a something to drink? I've got Vasarian Brandy, Accarragm, and Vayabok."

Isea looked at his men and back at Vobe. "No thanks. We're about to meet with members of the Alliance Command. The last thing we want is to appear intoxicated."

Jerryfar hung his head in disappointment. He raised it back up as he asked, "Do you have anything to kill time with?"

"In that compartment behind you, there are sabacc cards." Vobe replied as he pointed to the cabinet.

"Care for a game?"

"Not today. Not much of a game-playing mood right now Jerry."

'It's okay. Dash, care to lose?"

"No, but I will play a game," Dashal said smiling.

Vobe walked to the table and sat down in the booth as Dashal and Jerryfar began their game. "Tell me Isea, why did you defect?"

"To answer simply, I just couldn't take it anymore." Vobe looked at him with a confused look. "I could not stand it anymore to be part of something so deceitful. The double-crossings. The enslavements. The Emperor himself. The Rebels can win this war. They have already won several battles. I mean they destroyed the Death Star. That was quite a monumental task."

"I'll say it was. I was very surprised when I got news that it has been destroyed," Vobe replied.

"This new guy the Rebels got. What's his name? Skywalker. They are saying things about him."

"Saying things?" Vobe said with a raised eyebrow.

"Well people are saying he is a Jedi."

"Jedi? From what I remember reading on Holonets when I was a boy, is that the Jedi tried to take control of the Senate."

"Well if that was true, whey did it take them twenty-five thousand years?"

"You think Emperor Palpatine made it up?"

"It is possible. Everything else he does is evil, I guess I can say. But there is not much I can do about him. He is one of the last people I want to see."

"Who is the last person?"

"Sarguillo. For once he scares me more than anyone else."

Vobe gave a small chuckle.

'Why did you become a bounty hunter, Vobe?"

"I guess you can say it is because of my parents."

"How so?"

"When I was young all I wanted to do was to kill the man responsible. I had people who came to Jabba's Palace teach me how to fire blasters and rifles. So I when the day came, where I would be face-to-face with the man who killed my parents, I could kill him myself. However, the day never came though, but one day Jabba asked a favor of me. He asked me if I could take care of a member of Lady Valarian's entourage that would be arriving back in Mos Eisley. When he departed his transport, I killed him with a rifle shot from a nearby building."

"You didn't feel like a murderer?"

"No, I did not. The person was a murder himself. So I was just curing Tatooine of a killer."

Isea nodded.

"When I got back to Jabba he gave me ten thousand credits as a reward for the assassination. I realized that I could do this for a living. I began to work exclusively for Jabba until I later joined the Bounty Hunter's Guild."

"You said that it has to do with your parent's murder."

"Well, since I never killed the person responsible for their deaths, I decided to I'll exterminate other murderers instead. I feel that I am redeeming myself for each kill I perform."

"Redeem yourself of what?"

"For the failure of killing my parent's murderer."

"It's not a failure, by any means. You're parent's would be amazed at your skills now," Isea said reassuringly.

"HA! I win. Pay up Du'cana." Dashal yelled as he laughed. "You can't beat me, The Sabacc Master!"

"Man!" Jerryfar said as he threw his cards down on the table. "I give up! No more sabacc for me today. Vobe, how much longer do you think we have before we arrive?"

"Probably not long. Let me check," Vobe answered as he stood up and walked back into the cockpit. He looked at the navicomputer screen, pressing buttons as he looked. He left the cockpit and strolled back into the lounge.

"We just passed by the Ebaq system in the Deep Core, so it will not be long at all. I have been wondering, how will we find this High Command? I mean the planet's population is nine hundred billion."

"I have a special communication frequency to transmit on when we arrive in the system. We well this be directed to particular coordinates."

"I see."

"So no need to worry," Isea stated as a loud beeping is heard from the cockpit. "All is taken care of."

Vobe walked back into the ship's cockpit to investigate what the beeping could have been. It could be an alert for anything, enemy fighters, or a ship malfunction, luckily it was only the navicomputer alerting anyone onboard that the ship would be dropping out of lightspeed soon. They had arrived in the Metellos' system with no problems. Yet.

Vobe pressed the small button for the intercom. "Isea, come up here." Within moments Isea appeared in the cockpit.

"Yes?"

Vobe motioned for him to take a seat in the co-pilot's chair. "We have arrived in the Metellos System. Do you have that frequency available?"

"Yes, Dashal has it on him in case anything should ever happen to me." Isea leaned over so he could see down the corridor. "Dashal!"

Dashal appeared almost instantly. "Yes, sir."

"I need that datapad I gave you with the radio frequency."

He handed Isea a small datapad which he pushed several buttons on. "Okay, the frequency is one seven nine point three six. Vobe rotated his chair to the left and entered the frequency into the radio's controls.

"You are all set. Let's hope this works." Vobe said as he handed Isea a small headset so he could talk into. He put the spare headset on himself so he could listen to the conversation.

"What do I press to talk?" Isea asked Vobe as he gave a small chuckle.

"There's a little switch on the wire right here," He said as he pointed a little box with a small silver button attached on one side.

"Alright here we go." Isea pressed the button and in a clear steady voice said, "Ost Corp. wishes permission to deliver it's cargo." He released the button and waited as silence overtook the radio. A minute passed with no sounds in the cockpit. Dashal and Jerryfar stood in the cockpit's doorway listening quietly and giving each other curious glances.

Suddenly a voice broke through the silence. "Ost Corp., confirm your cargo."

"Two crate of seeker droids, one crate of Talusian fiberplast and an extra crate of Corellian Ore."

Another minute passes. "We were expecting only three not four."

"That was planned, but at the last minute I aquire another crate."

"I'll have to clear it," the voice said as the radio went calm again. Thirty seconds passed, and the voice appeared again. "Ost Corp., proceed to the following coordinates. Negative seven three one by six zero nine eight. Confirm."

"Confirming coordinates: negative seven three one by six zero nine eight. Ending radio transmission and beginning landing procedures now." Isea released the button and removed the headset. Vobe took off his headset and grabbed the other and laid them on the dashpanel.

"Ost Corp?"

"Family-owned business on Rori. It's an easy cover." He took the small datapad that contained the frequency and handed back to Dashal. "Destroy this. I want it irreparable."

"Yes, sir." Dashal said as he walked back into the lounge moments before a loud cracking noise followed by several more quieter ones. Dashal appeared back at the cockpit's door. "It's destroyed beyond repair."

"Thanks. Now you and Jerry go back and strap in, we are about to land." Dashal and Jerryfar disappeared down the passageway. "Okay Vobe, let's begin the next phase."

Vobe entered the coordinates that the person on the radio said. The small computer screen showed that the coordinates were on the side of the planet they were flying towards. Vobe pushed the controls forward and _The Korregidor_ dropped its angle and began to fly into Metellos' atmosphere.

Upon first glance, Metellos' stunned Vobe. Although the planet was physically smaller than Coruscant, its population was still quite large. The main population was human but it still had its intergalactic visitors as well.

Vobe checked the coordinates again to make sure he entered them correctly. "It appears the coordinates are located on the outer edge of Tímer City. One of the larger cities on Metellos. We're about ten thousand kilometers from it. It will not take us long. Have you met any of these guys before?" Vobe said looking at Isea.

"Only one. Captain Draggoo Vexus. He was the guy on the radio a moment ago."

As the ship neared its destination Vobe began final landing procedures. The hum of the landing gear being lowered could be heard. Vobe could see in the distance that two men were standing on top of a large building. "Isea," he said as he pointed and Isea grabbed the electrobinoculars next to him and looked through them.

"That's Captain Vexus. That must be his superior next to him. Land on the building if you can."

Vobe slowed the ship down as he neared the top of it. He watched as Captain Vexus and the other man walked and stood next to the elevator door to avoid the ship. As _The Korregidor_ rested on the roof, Vobe pressed the buttons to shut off the engines one by one. The hum of the engines was gradually vanishing. Vobe stood up and looked at Isea and followed him through the passageway to the lounge where he saw Jerryfar and Dashal standing up and stretching. Vobe glanced at Isea and asked, "Are we all ready?" All three men nodded and Vobe pressed the button to lower the door.


	10. Conscription

Chapter X 

Conscription 

"Good day Captain Ost." Draggoo Vexus said as he gave a firm salute. He was a rather short stocky man whose hair was receding away from his forehead. He had a small scar above his left eye which ran down into his eyebrow.

"Good day, sir." Isea replied. "I believe you already know Dashal Freestar and Jerryfar Du'cana." The two men gave Draggoo a solid salute. Isea motioned towards Vobe. "My I introduce Vobe Onoss."

Vobe didn't know quite what to do. Should he salute? Should he bow? This was all new to him. "Hello, sir," he finally said has he saluted.

"Vobe Onoss? The Bounty Hunter? I must say you are not quite what I expected. I thought you to be taller," Draggoo said.

"I get that a lot."

Draggoo turned towards Isea. "This is the extra cargo you mentioned? He wishes to join also?"

"Yes, I will explain it all later."

"Okay. May I introduce Colonel Evit Yniemi?" The second man, who had stayed behind near the elevator's doors, finally began to step forward. He was taller than Vobe and dressed extremely formal. His dark brown hair covered his ears. His voice was intimidating but a sense of pleasantness was embedded in it also.

The three men gave a salute which Evit returned. He looked at Isea. "It's good to see you made it without any problems. I was a little worried since we had not heard from you in some time. But no need to worry now, you are here safe." He turned towards Vobe. "I always thought bounty hunters never take sides?"

"They rarely do, but the only ones who do usually have conscience problems."

"Do you have a conscience problem?" Evit said accusingly.

"Not anymore, sir," Vobe said firmly. "It recently disappeared."

Evit gave a strange look towards Vobe before turning back towards Isea. "Let's go inside."

"Lead the way," Isea said has he followed Draggoo and Evit towards the elevator door which slid open automatically. The elevator was solid beige with several bright lights installed in the ceiling. The elevator had no need for windows for the lights could illuminate a large room.

All six men squeezed into the small lift and Draggoo, who was the last to enter, positioned himself next to the control panel for the elevator. He pushed the button for the sixth floor and the elevator began to slowly lower in altitude. Vobe watched as the light moved down the panel indicating they were passing a floor each time.

Twentieth.

Fifteenth.

Tenth.

Seventh. The elevator began to slow down and came to a stop when the number six has been lit up.

The doors slid open and Vobe was surprised to see the room full of equipment. There were holonet trackers, technical consoles, maps of planets on the wall, and personnel running around all over the room. The room looked like it could wage a small planetary war; however, this couldn't be the heart of the Alliance, this equipment is too few.

As soon as he stepped off the elevator, Evit was handed several personnel handed him memo after memo. He put a few of the papers down on a table initialed them and handed them back to the recruits who began to run them to different areas of the room. He motioned for Isea, Vobe and Draggoo to come to the large table with a map of the Galaxy on it.

"Our current intelligence reports that Vader has moved his fleet to the Gyndine System." He points to the location on the map. "Thrawn has moved his flotilla near the Anzat System here." He points to that system with his other hand. "Right in between these two fleets is Kashyyyk which is having its own problems. I have read."

"Yes, well Kashyyyk is handing its own problem I believe. There have been reports of uprisings in the in the Trandoshan Slave Camps on the planet."

"After the destruction of the Death Star and the subsequent ground battle, we set up several small facilities throughout the Galaxy, while we build our new base of operations in the Hoth System. Once we receive word that the Hoth base is operational, we will pack it up here and go to there."

"Why Hoth?" Isea asked. "Surely there are other planets that would be more" he paused for a moment, "hospitable."

"I know, but I don't choose the base locations. Hoth should be operation in about a year and a half, because we mostly have to build from scratch. However, the shield generator and several of the ground weapons are in separate pieces and will have to be put together like a gigantic puzzle."

"Where are the other small facilities located?"

"Besides here on Metellos, we have a tiny base set up on Dantooine; one on Aduba III, one on Yag'Dhul, and last one on Xagobah." He looked at Draggoo. "Now, it's your turn."

Draggoo turned towards Isea, Dashal and Jerryfar. "Now, about your ranks; Isea Ost, you were a Captain with the Empire, but you will be promoted to Major."

"Thank you." Isea saluted.

"Dashal Freestar, you were Second Lieutenant before, now you are First Lieutenant."

"Thank you, sir." Dashal said as he saluted.

"Jerryfar Du'cana, you were also a Second Lieutenant, you are too First Lieutenant."

"Thank you, Captain." Jerryfar said as he stood firm and saluted.

Draggoo turned and looked at Vobe. "Now, Vobe, with your unexpected appearance and your known skill in battle, I could not see you any less than a Captain. How does that sound to you?"

"Sounds great. I appreciate it." Vobe replied as he was the last to salute. "I might know some others who might join also. An armorsmith, a weaponsmith, and a fighter-for-hire."

"Do you trust them?"

"With my life."

"Well we may make an effort to get these men here."

"I would do it this instant, but I have a personal business to attend to."

"Business?" Evit said as he turned around.

"Yes, well…"

Isea interrupted. "We'll explain everything in a little while."

The six men entered the conference room and sat down around the circular table in the center of the room. Vobe sat first followed by Evit, Isea, Draggoo, Jerryfar, and finally Dashal.

The room was brightly lit via the large windows on two of the walls. Small speeders could be seen flying past the windows outside in all directions. It did seem to have the same kind of traffic lanes as Coruscant had, although not as many lanes.

Over the course of the meeting, Vobe explained the entire situation to Evit and Draggoo with Isea filling in small details every so often. He described the parley with Sarguillo, the attempt on his life on Socorro and his meeting of Isea. Evit and Draggoo just sat back and listened.

"Isea, if Sarguillo is such an important figure, why doesn't he change his schedule? I mean we could launch an attack on his ship anytime." Evit asked.

"He is a very arrogant person. He is not going to change his plans around because of three defectors. He believes we are not much of a threat to him."

"I see."

"Speaking of Sarguillo," Vobe added. "He is probably wondering what is taking me so long to fulfill his task."

"Aye. He will probably begin to have people look for you. You had better make some kind of contact with him."

"What would I say? I mean I cannot just tell him that I want him dead. I don't think he would like that very much."

"What do you propose, Vobe?" Draggoo inquired.

Vobe sat back in his chair with his wrists resting on the table. He sat quietly thinking. The other men looked around trying to figure out what Vobe was doing. A minute passes with no sound heard out of him or anyone else.

"Vobe?" Isea said.

"Yes?" Vobe replied as he sat up casually.

"What do you propose we do about Sarguillo? You are the one who wanted to do something about him," Draggoo said with a slight amount of irritation in his voice.

"I am trying to think of something. How he could be taken down." Vobe leaned back again in his chair and closed his eyes for a moment. The other men noticed that he was silently muttering to himself.

The men began to speak to each other coming up with different ideas of an attack on Sarguillo's flotilla. The room was getting more vociferous with each passing moment.

"I have an idea." Vobe said softly but to no avail of anyone hearing him. "I think I have an idea." He said louder and with a more alerting tone.

Silence.


	11. A Gambit Planned

Chapter XI 

A Gambit Planned 

Each man sat and stared at Vobe, who now had the attention of everyone in the room. Vobe felt uneasy about whether to discuss his possible plan to get vengeance on Sarguillo and his ship. The group of Rebels would like to do anything they can to damage the Empire's Navy. There was air of curiosity and doubt in the room. Most of the men wondered if Vobe had actually gotten an idea about what to do. A few of them, doubted.

"What do you mean? You already have an idea of what to do?" Evit said doubtingly.

"Well, like I said it's an _idea_. I am not going to initiate it unless you guys approve."

"What do you plan to do?"

"Well, I want to get Sarguillo, but…"

Draggoo cut him off. "Vobe, don't make this a personal vendetta. Vendettas lead to anger which can cause errors, errors lead to mistakes which we cannot be rectified in a war such as this."

"I have had personal problems interfere with a mission once; it nearly led to my death. I vowed never to let it happen again. This is different. The previous time, I dwelled on my parent's murder and got distracted. I wish to strike against my problem. I won't get personal."

"It had better not. Now, what is this idea of yours?"

Vobe glanced out the room's window to gather his thoughts and finalize his hasty plan. "Well, I get in touch with Sarguillo via this frequency he contacted me on. I tell him that I have found Major Ost. Now he will either be very relieved that I have found Major Ost or he will be extremely disappointed that I am still alive."

"Why am I a part of this?" Isea said with a nosy tone.

"Just let me finish. I request that we come aboard his ship to deliver him to Sarguillo. While we are being led to Sarguillo's office, the small strike team, onboard my ship sneak out and plant explosives onboard his ship with a timer on them."

"I think I see where you are going with this Vobe," Evit said.

"When I had my first meeting with Sarguillo aboard his ship, I noticed that in his hanger bay there were very minimal stormtroopers. There was also a passage way directly to the engine room, and reactor. If the strike team can make it through to the engine and reactor room, they can plant small explosives aboard to detonate moments after we take Sarguillo."

Dashal intrudes, "Interesting plan, Vobe, but I have one change to suggest. What about if I go in Major Ost's stead. He's too important to risk losing. I am sure that Sarguillo would like to have either me or Jerryfar back too."

"Good point. You are willing to risk yourself for him then?"

"Anyday," he replied as he glanced to Isea.

"How big of a strike team are we expecting? How big of a group are we looking at?" Evit asked.

"Probably no more than three or four. I have a few hidden compartments aboard my ship that can hold that many," Vobe replied. "The walls of the compartment are shielded to deflect any scanner trying to inspect my ship. So they will be very well safe-guarded."

"Now how will we know that the destruction of the reactor and engines will disable the entire ship? What about communication to and from the ship? Any attack on the ship and Sarguillo will announce it on the radio."

"Do you know where the communication array is? We'll have to knock it out as quick as possible, because if an alarm is raised about our assault on the ship, this whole mission would be in vain. All would be lost."

"Isea, how would we be able to get to the internal communications systems from inside _The Destructor_'s hanger bay?"

"I'll have to show you on a schematic of a star destroyer, but it shouldn't be that hard. Do you have a schematic available?" Isea said.

"Yes, well sort that part out later," Evit answered.

"Vobe, I like your plan, simple and essential.

"I guess it has the meeting's approval?" Vobe said with a smile.

"Yes, we'll fine tweak it later. When did you want to execute it?"

"We can't wait too long or Sarguillo will grow impatient. I would like to implement it in the next few days. Is that possible?"

Evit and Draggoo glanced around the room at the other men who began to talk amongst themselves. Vobe sat watching and waiting, not saying a word. Letting the Alliance members decide the mission's fate. The conversations stopped when Draggoo began to speak.

"Where do you plan to acquire the explosives needed for the reactor?"

"Well, this is Metellos, there is a population of nine hundred billion. There must be someplace to buy that sort of equipment. I have no idea where, but we can find it though. Anyone know where we can find such items?"

"What about a local messenger? He could probably find some back alley vendor or something," Jerryfar states.

"I wouldn't trust a messenger with such an significant task. Lieutenant Du'cana, in the room two doors down, there is a man named Hadji, I want you to go with him and find some explosives. He would know where to look. Make sure to double-back and back track to avoid drawing any attention to ourselves here."

"Of course, Sir." Jerryfar said as he stood up and walked to the door, but as he went to open, Evit spoke again.

"I must remind you that you must be careful."

"Yes, Sir." Jerryfar stated as he saluted and exited the room.

"Now, how are we going to decide who is going to go on this mission? Obviously Vobe and Dashal must go. They are the main diversion." Draggoo inquired.

"Well, Evit, Jerryfar, Isea, and Draggoo, must remain here. The hidden compartment on my ship can hold about 3 people. So no more than three, or it might look suspicious." Vobe replied.

"Is there anyone here who is skilled with explosives and the ability to sneak around?" Isea asked Evit.

"Well, Hadji he's good with explosives, Korba, he's good at stealth."

"What about Deygon? He works well with Korba." Draggoo added.

"Yes, he would be very useful. We'll have to ask him if he wants to go."

"Would Sarguillo be able to trace the connection of Metellos when I contact him?" Vobe asked the group.

"Well, I would have rather you contact him while in space. So it's not traced directly to our location." Evit said.

"I see what you mean. Then he just traces it to a system. Hopefully he'll take the bait."

Vobe looked around the room at the faces of the men. They seemed to have accepted his idea of attack on Sarguillo. Hopefully it would work according to plan. If anyone was lost during the assault on _The Destructor_, he would feel responsible for the deaths. Vobe remembered about Owana Nawek, Sarguillo's body man, and his keen interest in the Alliance. "I just remembered one thing. When I was aboard _The Destructor_ when I first met Sarguillo, I met his body man, Captain Owana Nawek. During our shuttle ride back to Coronet, he seemed to show an interest in the Alliance. He talked as if he wished to join. He seemed displeased with Sarguillo and his tactics."

"It could be a trap, Vobe. How certain are you of this?"

"Pretty certain, there was a tone in his voice that didn't seem threatening it seemed more curious. I think he wants to defect but is afraid of Sarguillo's retaliation."

"Maybe he can help us when we get aboard. Is any way to contact him before we begin the mission?" Draggoo asked Vobe..

"I'm not really sure. Sarguillo probably keeps all communication channels monitored for any evidence of dissatisfaction. After losing Isea, Dashal and Jerryfar, he is probably very suspicious anyone on his staff."

"Sarguillo, suspicious? I doubt it. Most of his crew is scared of him. I know who you are talking about, Vobe. He is quite knowledgeable about the Imperial tactics, and of Sarguillo's schedule. He could be useful. Anything that Sarguillo gets, goes through Captain Nawek first," Isea added.

"Well, if I get rid of Sarguillo, I can get him to come along. I'm sure he would join."

"Any idea how you will get him?" Evit asked.

"Not yet, I'm sure it will be spontaneous. I'll just have to make it up as I go."

Evit stood up and began to address the group. "Okay gentlemen, before this plan is executed, I will have to confer with the other sub-bases of the Alliance." He paused for a moment. "Draggoo, I want you to inform Korba, and Deygon of the impending mission. Have them formulate a plan between them so when they are aboard their ship they can then carry out. We'll inform Hadji of his part in the mission when he comes back with Lieutenant Du'cana. I must contact the other bases now; I will inform you of their opinion on this matter in a few minutes. Thank you gentlemen." Evit saluted and exited the room.

"I did not expect it to be accepted on the first go," Vobe said to Draggoo after the door shut behind Evit." I figured it would be tweaked or modified before being accepted by the Colonel."

Draggoo turned towards Vobe. "I was surprised too, but the Colonel knows a worthwhile gambit when he sees one. He doesn't take them too lightly. If it's worth it, he'll do what he can to go through with it."

"Who are these other men? Deygon and Korba? Are they reliable?"

"Probably our more helpful recruits. Korba is from Corellia. I found him while in the city of Tyrenia before we relocated here to Metellos. Very dependable. He's a ranger so he can track anyone while on land, which if you ask me, is extremely helpful."

"Well, I am not sure if tracking is what we'll need aboard _The Destructor_," Vobe quickly replied. "What we will need is stealth. That is what is essential aboard a capital ship."

"He also has quite a bit of knowledge of explosives too, but not as extensive as Hadji."

"Ah. What about this other guy, Deygon?" Vobe said with a tone of unfamiliarity.

"Deygon is Korba's brother and was recruited at the same time. His main ability is stealth. He can blend into pretty much any environment he comes into. If there is anyone who can sneak around a capital ship, it would be Deygon. He's helped us get though heavily controlled Imperial locations countless times."

"They sound very useful." Vobe paused for a moment. "How long will it take the Colonel to communicate with the other bases?"

"Probably only a few minutes," Draggoo said easily. "As soon as he gets word of approval from the Main Headquarters, he will come back and give us the go-ahead."

"Ah." Vobe said quietly.


	12. Confirmation

Chapter XII 

Confirmation 

Hours had passed and the sun had begun to set on Metellos as the day grew later. Vobe sat by the window in the conference room and looked out the window as if he was staring into peace. He watched the ships fly though the traffic lanes that were embedded in the crimson sky. The tiny personal speeders were dwarfed by the large bulk transports often carrying spices, building materials, ship components and speeders themselves. He dreaded the thought of being just a deliveryman for a galactic transport company. He preferred jobs with more action, drama, which bounty hunting offered.

Draggoo sat quietly nearby, patiently waiting for word from Evit, reading over reports being carried in by messengers from the main room. He looked up to see Vobe staring out the window. "Do you ever feel any remorse about what you do, Vobe? I mean killing people. It seems so cold-blooded. So merciless."

Vobe continued looking out the window trying not to listen. He had already had this conversation several times in his life and he did not want to get into the ethics of life and death. Vobe began to survey the atmosphere and ground. Vobe fixed his eyes on the citizens in Tímer City. He watched them move to and fro on the streets below, inside buildings and out again. He began to wonder if his life would seem so meaningless if he had not decided to pursue bounty hunting as a profession. Would his be as successful if he was a medic, or a farmer on some distant planet in the galaxy? He always had these thoughts, whether he had made the right choice and decided to give into his vengeance and hunt those down who have wronged someone. His introspection had appeared since the day he first set foot into Jabba's palace when he decided to pursue this baleful career.

"Vobe. Did you hear anything I said?" Draggoo said again irritably.

Vobe looked away from the window and turned towards Draggoo slowly. "Yes, I heard you. I was trying not to listen." Draggoo had a disappointed look upon his face. "To answer your question, I try not to think about how merciless it is, or cold-blooded. I have no remorse for those I kill, because I kill those who have done harm. I hunt those who deserve to be arrested or killed."

"Did Isea do harm?"

"Well, this is a completely different story. At the time, I thought that I was just on another job. Another hunt. I had no idea about his knowledge of my parent's deaths. I also did not know about Sarguillo's hiring of Jaeron to kill me as well. This whole mission was topsy-turvy. At first it was hard to figure out who to believe, but there is something," Vobe paused momentarily, "something about Isea that I do not doubt."

"I see." Draggoo replied softly. "I was skeptical when I first saw that you were going to join the Alliance. I thought that all bounty hunters were neutral on pretty much everything, especially when it came to the Empire and the Alliance. They may take jobs from either side, but not actually align themselves. I am glad at you joined Vobe, you are a highly skilled person, who I can see a very positive future for you with the Alliance."

"Thank you Captain. I appreciate that." Vobe said as he stared back out the window. "Sometimes I wonder if I've made the right choice, Draggoo. I mean I became a bounty hunter because I wanted to use my parent's deaths as reason for revenge for those who have murdered or thieved or harmed someone; but now that I know the reason behind their death's I feel like I have lost the motivation why I became a bounty hunter. Like if I no longer have the will to go on tracking people down."

"Vobe, just because you have uncovered the mystery of your parent's murders, doesn't make you any less of a bounty hunter."

"Well, I like to think that every bounty hunter has a reason why he does what he does. Some, like me, hunt for vengeance. Some do it for the money. Some do it for fun. I think they all have a reason they do not want to share."

"I agree." Draggoo replied as he went back to his work, shuffling papers around and datapads moving from one side of the table to another.

A few minutes had passed when Evit walked back into the room. He had a look of approval upon his weary face. Draggoo stood up solid when he entered the room. Vobe slowly stood up from chair near the window. Slowly, he strode up to the table and stood across from Evit and Draggoo.

Draggoo looked at Evit. "Well, any word from the other bases? Will they allow us to proceed with our plan?" Draggoo glanced at Vobe as he finished talking.

Evit quietly looked at Draggoo and then slowly turned towards Vobe. "The High Command has given us full authority to proceed with our plans. We are to execute it when we feel ready and willing to. The other bases give their go-ahead and wish us luck with our plan. So it's all forward from here. As I was walking back in here to inform you two of the approval, I saw that Hadji and Jerryfar have returned. They got some thermal detonators with a little more power than normal ones. These should give us the kind of explosion we need to destroy the engines and any other systems that will disable _The Destructor_."

Vobe had an elated look on his face. He didn't think the plan would be approved. He didn't know quite what to say.

"Vobe," Evit said coldly. "You had better be right about all this." Vobe readjusted his step after hearing those words said so unemotionally. "I need to go and finalize the plan. I will see you later." Evit saluted which the men returned respectfully and left the room.

"What exactly am I supposed to do now?" Vobe pondered.

"You meet your crew," Draggoo replied.

"Good day, Sir." Hadji said as he saluted Vobe. He was medium built, short scraggy brown hair, bushy eyebrows and a short pointy nose. Just from a glance Hadji looked like one who would be very intelligent with explosives and weapons in general. "I was pleased to hear that I would be involved in a small attack against the Empire. From what I have heard, this Sarguillo is a tough type of guy. Just the sort of guy who needs to be put 'out of business' I guess you could say."

"He is. After hearing about the things he did against me personally, he has to be retired. Luckily, the Rebels want him out too, so now is the prime opportunity to do such a daunting task. Have they informed you to what your mission actually is?" Vobe replied.

"Yes, and it sounds like an interesting mission. I am looking forward to it."

"Good, I am glad to hear." Vobe turned around and looked at Deygon. He was both lean and muscular. He was a little shorter than Vobe, which surprised him. "You're rather short, Deygon."

"Really? How could you tell?" Deygon replied sarcastically. "My small stature allows me to hide easily."

"True. If you had a furry face, I'd confuse you with a Bothan." Vobe replied with a hint of laughter in his voice. Deygon gave a laugh and shook Vobe's hand. "I understand that Colonel Yniemi wishes to make use of your brother."

"Yes, I contacted him about an hour ago. He shall be here in a few minutes time. He was on Coruscant so he is not too far away. He has some things to take care of on Coruscant before he comes here to Metellos. He loves to do explosive work, and jobs with stealth."

"Good, because this is the job where we need all the stealth we can get. It's going to be tough for you guys to make your way from _The Korregidor_ to the reactor and engine room quietly. But from what I have heard about you, Hadji, and Korba; I have total faith in you guys."

"Thanks. That means a lot coming from someone as well known as you, Vobe." The door slide open as he had finished speaking and a tall slender man with long dark hair, sharp eyebrows, and a short stubby nose entered. He walked over and embraced Deygon as a brother. "Korba, I would like to introduce you to Vobe Onoss, newest member of the Alliance and bounty hunter."

"Welcome. I thought bounty hunters were neutral when it came to the Empire and Alliance?" Korba inquired.

"Well, most are. I; however, am an exception."

"Ah. So, what's the plan you got going?" Korba asked as he glanced to Deygon, Hadji and then back to Vobe.

"Come in here, brother, I'll explain it to you." The two went into the conference room and Vobe saw them sit down at the table and began to talk. Deygon was obviously running through the plan and the situation between Vobe and Sarguillo. After several minutes, they reappeared back in the situation room. Korba walked up to Vobe and began to speak.

"Quite a plan you got. I am glad to be apart of it. I don't mind the Empire but Sarguillo is one I do not like. I ran into him once on Coruscant. He was very rude and treats people very badly. I am surprised no one has taken care of him before. Are you sure this plan will work? Seems like it will be a lot of work?"

"What would it be if there wasn't a challenge?" Vobe paused for a moment. "It will work. You guys got the hardest part; making your way from the hanger bay to the engine and reactor room. I must try not to get myself killed by Sarguillo. He has already tried to get me before back on Socorro. I think he'll be even more impatient with me now. So I must be careful when I arrive in his office. But, I have the feeling that his assistant is more than meets the eye. When I spoke with him, during my first parley with Sarguillo, he seemed inquisitive about the Alliance. He gave the impression that he was dissatisfied with Sarguillo and his tactics. I could be wrong though; which I hope not." Vobe added a chuckle as he finished.

Draggoo walked back into the situation room and began to speak to the group. "Guys, Colonel Yniemi wishes to accelerate with our plan in three days time. During this time we must go over what we will do. I want it to be memorized. I want it to be burned in your minds of where you go aboard _The Destructor_. The Empire has made all star destroyers identical, schematic-wise. We have diagrams and blueprints that will definitely aid you in finding your way to the reactor room and the engine room from the main hanger bay." He paused for a moment and Hadji motioned to let Draggoo know he wanted to speak. "You have something to say Hadji?"

Hadji stepped forward and began to speak. "Yes. After we detonate the bombs on the engines and reactor, will that cause enough damage to permanently cripple the ship? And if it does, will we be able to escape in aboard the _The Korregidor_?"

"That depends on you. If you plant them right, it'll will permanently disable the ship. But you bring up an interesting point, if it is damaged heavily. There is a possibility that you won't be able to get out."

Vobe raised a hand and began to talk. "Well, either way, even if the ship is disabled or not; Sarguillo will be dead." Vobe paused a moment. "I will be sure of that. I will tell him I wish to speak with him privately, and I'll 'remove him from service' there. Dashal will be with me since he is the one of his crew that I am 'delivering' back to Sarguillo."

"Yes, good. I had wondered about the confrontation between you and Sarguillo. There is a possibility though, that he could just shoot you and right then and there. Take out his part of the problem and then the strike team will be onboard the ship alone."

"Well, if I am killed and they are successful, they have full permission to take my ship back here. You can use it for whatever you wish. It could be a very useful ship; perfect for smuggling items back and forth."

"I have a question," Korba interrupted. "What about communications to and from _The Destructor_? If we are successful with our part of the mission, what is to stop them from radioing another fleet to aid them after they are disabled? Are there any type of communication panels around the area of the engine room?"

"Good point," Draggoo added. "Well, I am not quite sure where the communication array is but I know there is one on the exterior of the ship, so that one is unavailable to destroy. However; we have two days to nail down the exact details of this plan. Like I said before, Colonel Yniemi wishes to execute this plan no later than three days from now. That gives us two days to plan and then on the third day we go. So tomorrow, Hadji, Korba and Deygon get your supplies and weapons ready. Get what you need. Dashal, Vobe and I will go over the minimal details tomorrow and then we will explain the final plan to you guys on the following day. The day after that we go." Draggoo paused for a moment while he gathered his final thoughts. "I must reiterate again that Sarguillo is too big a figure to leave alone. We must not fail. This is the time to prove how valuable you are to the Alliance." Draggoo gave an extremely solid salute to the men in the room which each man returned just as solid.

Vobe was getting an anxious feeling in his gut. The time was getting nearer and nearer. He felt that the fate of the four men coming with him on this mission rested on whether he would be able to kill Sarguillo in that office. He could do it. He had to do it.


	13. Another Meeting

Chapter XIII 

Another Meeting 

The beige walls of Vobe's room began to feel like they were enclosing him. Two days passed since the conformation of the plan and Vobe grew more nervous by the minute. For some reason, this gambit seemed like nothing he had ever done. It was more than just his life on the line. Four other men relied on Vobe to succeed.

Vobe was sitting by the window again staring out into the blankness of Metello's atmosphere. The constant lines of ships moving in every direction were shadowed by the setting sun. Vobe noticed lights across Tímer city were beginning to flicker on as the sun dropped below the horizon. Each of the lights in the corners of his own room automatically turned on at a certain depth of darkness. Vobe eyed as each cylindrical light lit up one after another with the one next to him turning on last due to it's location by the window. The room lit up as if the sun was shining directly into the room. The plan was almost at execution time. In twelve hours, Vobe would make contact with Admiral Sarguillo.

This task set up by the Alliance would require extremely quick-thinking. Sarguillo could shoot him right then and there when they arrive on board _The Destructor_. Hopefully, that would not happen. With any luck, Vobe could get Sarguillo to his personal quarters.

There was a small knock at the door and Vobe turned and stood up and opened the door. It was Dashal. "Got a moment, Vobe?"

"Yea, yea. Come in." Vobe walked back and let him in. Dashal entered and the door slid closed behind him.

"I came by to see how you were doing since we are getting close to launch time." He had a sound of comfort in his voice. "Hadji, Korba, and Deygon are ready to go. They have their detonation packs stored aboard your ship; in that hidden room to be exact. Like you said, there is ample room enough for the three and their supplies. They'll be ok."

"Good." Vobe looked at Dashal worryingly. "Are you ready? You know, for what's going to happen tomorrow. I want to make sure I am not the only one."

"Of course I'm a bit worried. Hopefully, he won't execute both us once we step off the ship. How are you going to get isolated with him? Any particular choice of conversation?"

"Well," Vobe sat upright, "that part I'm not quite sure what I will say. It'll have to be impromptu. I'll start to think of what to say once I make contact with him again over the radio; you know, when I contact him requesting a meeting. His tone will set the stage for our arrival on _The Destructor_. Although, I can probably guess how his tone will be." Vobe added with a slight chuckle.

"Well, whatever you plan, just remember that it can all go to hell in an instant. How will Korba and the others get out of the compartment?"

"I've shown them where the emergency switch is. They hit that switch, and it'll open the door. They will have to make sure to disembark the ship as quietly as possible. Hopefully, stormtroopers will not stay onboard while we are brought to Sarguillo's quarters. How long before we leave?"

"Twelve hours. You might want to get some rest. I am going to try to sleep some. I'm going to speak with Hadji, Korba and Deygon before I sleep." Dashal stood up and shook Vobe's hand. "Sleep. You need some." Dashal walked to the door and pressed the small button next to it and the door slid open. He walked through and the door automatically shut behind him. Vobe was alone again, but he was used to it.

Vobe kept staring out the window and stood up slowly. He would have to get some sleep if he was to perform at the level he was expected. Slowly, he walked to the bed and laid down and stared at the ceiling. Before he knew it he was asleep.

"Vobe! Wake up!"

Vobe jumped as he awoke. Sitting upright, he looked around to see Dashal and Isea standing over him. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing, Colonel Yniemi wishes to speak with you."

"I fell asleep. I needed it." Vobe said rubbing his eyes. He stood up and stretched his arms out. "How long was I out?"

"Nine hours." Isea commented.

"Nine hours?" Vobe exclaimed. "How long does that leave us until we go forward? I surely did not mean to sleep that long."

"Zero hour is in three hours," Isea stated. "It is alright. You did need the sleep. The past few days have been exhausting." He walked to the door and pressed the keypad and the door slid open. "Come the Colonel wishes to speak with you before we go forward."

Vobe still tired from his sleep, slowly walked up to Isea and began to follow him through the large war room to the elevator on the far side. People were running through out the room at very quick paces. Most were passing information from one station to another. Some personnel almost knocked him over as they darted around the room. As he passed the large holographic map of the Galaxy, he heard the names of several planetary systems such as Rothana, headquarters of Rothan Heavy Engineering; Iridonia, home to the Zabrak species, and Svivren, which houses a major trading port in the Galaxy. They were sites of spies possibly, or attacks that will be carried out. Vobe tried not to assume too much about them because of his personal meeting with Colonel Yniemi soon.

As they reached the elevator, the door whizzed open and both men walked aboard. Isea pressed the button for three floors above and the elevator came to life and began to move upwards. "Do you know why he wants to see me?"

"No idea," Isea said as he stared at the number indicating what floor they passed. "I am guessing he probably wants to give you any last bit of information he has or he could just be wishing you good luck."

_Luck. I'm going to need it. Need a lot of it._ Vobe thought. "Who knows? Maybe he was word that Sarguillo came to his senses and flew his flagship into a supernova." He glanced at Isea and gave a slight chuckle.

"I highly doubt it," Isea eyed Vobe, "but that would be nice."

Not much later, the elevator stopped and the door slid open revealing an empty hallway with dark beige walls with no look that this was the Colonel's floor. Several meters down the corridor, a door opened and a tall, slender man appeared and began to walk towards Vobe. He had extremely short auburn hair and a small thin moustache. Upon reaching Vobe, he stopped and saluted him. "Good day Captain Onoss. I am Corporal Ets'ich Dhalem. I am Colonel Yniemi's personal assistant. Follow me please." He began to walk back down the corridor from which he came and re-entered the door he exited originally. Vobe and Isea followed and they entered the Corporal's lavishly decorated office.

"Nice office, Corporal." Vobe said loudly before speaking quietly to Isea. "I am afraid to ask how nice the Colonel's room is."

Isea gave him a sly look as Corporal Dhalem knocked on the Colonel's office door. There was a quiet "Yes?" as he opened the door and slowly entered. "Captain Onoss, Sir." There was a small amount of silence as Corporal Dhalem reentered the room. "You may go on in Captain." He said as he stood behind his desk. He sat down and began to shuffle through several datapads.

"I'll be back momentarily, I hope." Vobe stood up and walked solemnly into the office. The first thing he noticed is how different it was from Admiral Sarguillo's grey bleak office onboard _The Destructor_. He gave a look around the room and noticed that it had several paintings from around the Galaxy he presumed. There was a large painting of a Massassasi Temple behind the desk which Evit sat behind quietly. On the left wall there were several paintings hanging. One was a dark purple-ish painting of the Lucky Despot Cantina in Mos Eisley. The Lucky Despot was actually a cargo ship that crashed when Tatooine was first being colonized. It is the site of many deals between scoundrels and those who do not wish to be caught by the local security force of the city. Beside that was a landscape painting of Endor in the Outer Rim. On the opposite side of the room were Imperial Wanted Posters of Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa. Vobe assumed that Evit had hung up those posters for irony since he was in league with the Rebellion which was headed by Leia.

Vobe also had noticed that there were no weapons shown off around the office like in Sarguillo's. Evit probably wasn't the one to let every person know how much he knew about weapons and which ones he could fight better with. He must like to keep his knowledge of weapons to himself to make him more of a mysterious figure.

"Do sit down, Vobe." Evit said motioning toward the chair in front of the desk. Vobe walked over and took a seat down. The chair was rather comfortable, more comfortable than those in the war room. "Now, I wanted to call you in to," he paused for a moment, "I guess thank you for your knowledge into this campaign."

"Um, thank you, sir." Vobe replied in a confused tone. "Why do you feel that you need to thank me?"

"Well, without your help and information we would know have known where to attack next and Sarguillo is a dangerous man in the Imperial Navy. Destroying his capital ship, would weaken the Empire's Starfleet with significant results. Hopefully, this operation will be very successful with no loss or life or injuries to our forces. Sarguillo's, on the other hand, I hope we wipe out as many of his forces as we can." He added a slight smile and laugh as he finished talking. Vobe gave a small chuckle as Evit began to speak again.

"Now, the only thing I have left to tell you, Vobe is this: Good luck in a few hours."

"Thanks, I will definitely need it. Hopefully, Sarguillo won't smell this coming. Who knows what he could do once we land onboard _The Destructor_."

"Well, Sarguillo is somewhat of a decent man, he will probably allow you to explain your case. Any idea what you are going to do about Sarguillo?"

"Well, I've been slowly thinking about it. It'll have to be improvised because who knows what could happen of course. But, what I want to happen is this: I get him back to his office and Dashal and I can try to overpower him. He has an array of weapons on his office wall; I would possibly use one of those to 'get rid of him' as you say. Hopefully, during that time, Hadji and the others get to the engine room and destroy it and we both can make our way back to my ship at the same time."

"Will you be able to find your way back to the docking bay? Star destroyers are quite large and the passageways can be confusing."

"I have a good memory of corridors and hallways; I can find my way back."

"What about resistance on your route back to the docking bay?"

"I will just have to remove them as I go. It will be a bit difficult if I get bogged down in a hallway, but I think I'll be alright."

"Good, good." Evit stood up, sliding his chair back as he did. Vobe stood up attentively. "Good luck again Vobe. It's a tough operation but I feel you will succeed admirably."

"Thank you again, sir." Vobe gave him a salute and turned and left the room.

Isea stood up and he and Vobe left the office room. "What did he want?" Isea asked as they entered the hallway. "Any new information?"

"No, just wanted to thank me for my help and the information on Sarguillo."

"Oh. Well, there is two and a half hours before you embark on the mission."

"Thanks, like I haven't been counting down in my mind. This is one of the toughest things I've ever had to do." Vobe said with a sigh.

"Don't worry, I think you can handle it, in fact, I know you will."


	14. Initiation

Chapter XIV  
Initiation

* * *

Those words made Vobe feel reassured about the impending mission. He repeated them over and over in his head as he climbed the stairs to the roof there _The Korregidor_ was sitting and waiting. The time to launch was drawing close and Vobe needed to get his gear ready and stowed onboard _The Korregidor_. When he reached the roof, he noticed that Hadji and Deygon were sitting outside the ship patiently waiting for the time to go. They sat mumbling conversations to each other discussing the war and interesting places they have visited throughout the Galaxy. "Where's your stuff guys?" Vobe asked them as he drew nearer to the ship's ramp.

"Already onboard, Vobe. What do ya got in there?" Deygon asked as he pointed to the large bag Vobe had slung over his shoulder.

"Just a few necessities; my carbine, scatter pistol and a few other things I use." Vobe replied quickly. Vobe continued walking up the ramp and Deygon continued is conversation with Hadji. He entered the cabin and proceeded to unpack his bag and set the contents out on the table in the ship's lounge. He grabbed the carbine and the scatter pistol and casually walked into the cockpit and placed them in a hidden compartment that could be easily reached if the weapons were needed suddenly. He sat down I the pilot's chair and began to stare out the window.

"Captain," a voice said from behind him. Vobe didn't move to look; he just continued staring outside the cockpit's window. "Sir," Vobe finally broke out of thought and spun the chair around to see Dashal standing in the doorway. "Sir, are you about ready to begin? Colonel Yniemi is hoping that we'll start soon. Shall I tell him that we're about to launch?"

"Actually, I'll let him know. I have to stop by and talk with Isea once more before we go."

"Of course, sir." Dashal turned and walked back into the lounge and down the ladder to the roof of the building. He walked over and joined Deygon, Korba, and Hadji in their conversation. Vobe walked through his ship and down the loading ramp and entered the Alliance command center. Vobe entered the elevator that he had taken several times and took it down to the sixth floor, where the War Room was located. The doors opened and Vobe strode through making his way between the holographic projectors, maps of the Galaxy, and the personnel moving about hurriedly throughout the room. Vobe walked over to Isea who was looking over a map of the Galaxy. Isea looked up as Vobe drew nearer.

"Ah, Captain Onoss. I'm glad you stopped by." He paused for a small moment before continuing. "I want to thank you again for undertaking such an enormous task. It does seem that the odds are not in your favor but I know that you will do the Alliance proud."

"Thank you again Major," Vobe replied as he saluted.

Isea returned a solid salute. "Contact us as soon as you have completed the mission."

"If I survive the mission that is. As soon as I've contacted Sarguillo, I will erase my navicomputer's memory therefore removing any data showing Metellos as a base of operations."

"I was hoping you would do that. The last thing we want is Sarguillo showing up at our doorstep with several squadrons of stormtroopers.," Isea said with a quiet laugh.

"Right." Vobe looked around awkwardly. "Well, I think it's time to go. We must not delay." Vobe gave another salute which was returned. "Until next time, Major Ost."

"We'll see each other soon, Captain Onoss." The two shook hands. "Good luck, Vobe."

"Thank you Isea."

Vobe turned around and slowly walked towards Colonel Yniemi who was near a holographic projector discussing future plans with Captain Vexus. "Colonel."

Evit turned around to see Vobe saluting him. "Captain, I am guessing that you are about to launch?"

"Yes, sir. Only momentarily."

"Excellent. Good luck to you and your crew, Captain. I have no doubt that you will succeed in this perilous mission." Evit said reassuringly. "You will contact us as soon as you are finished right?"

"Naturally sir."

"Good then. Well, time to begin." Evit saluted which Vobe returned.

"Good day Colonel Yniemi, Captain Vexus." Vobe turned around and began to walk to the elevator to take him to the roof one last time. Hundreds of thoughts were bouncing around Vobe's mind as he walked to the lift. _Will he succeed? Will Sarguillo suspect this to be a trap? Was he making the right choice by bringing four Rebel soldiers along?_ He entered the lift and pressed the button for the roof and stared as he numbers lit up.

He cleared his thoughts as the doors slid open revealing _The Korregidor_ with Deygon, Dashal, Korba, and Hadji standing outside the ramp waiting for the mission to begin. Vobe began his walk to the ship and stepped up in front of his crew. "It's time," he said flatly.

"Okay. Shall we begin?" Hadji replied as he motioned towards the ship's ramp.

"I just want to thank you four for your courage and determination in helping on such a serious and important mission." Vobe walked to the edge of the ramp and motioned for the men to get onboard. Hadji boarded first, followed by Dashal, Korba and finally Deygon. Vobe entered and when he was fully inside pressed the small button next to the doorway and the ramp began to rise into the ship. A small hiss was heard when the door was fully sealed.

Vobe walked away from the door and into the cabin to where he saw the four men sitting around the table making small talk. The conversation wasn't interesting enough for Vobe to pay much attention. He slowly walked past them and into the pilot's compartment and sat in the chair. He stared out the window again for a few moments when he broke his trance and began his normal routine of getting the ship started. One by one he flicked the switches to start the engines, shields, hyperdrive, navicomputer, and all the other small controls.

The ship's lights dimmed slightly as the ship hummed with power. Hadji and Deygon looked around cautiously as the lights regained their full brightness. "Does it normally do that?" Hadji said to Dashal. Dashal nodded as _The Korregidor_ began to vibrate as the ship began to lift off the roof.

The engine's exhaust created a large, thick cloud of dust off the roof of the building. Nearby citizens looked up to see the Carrack-class cruiser take-off and were surprised that a ship of that size could fit on the building's roof. The ship hovered momentarily while final systems were being turned on. _The Korregidor_ began its short trip through Metellos' atmosphere. The ship dodged Timér City's speedy cruiser lanes. Vobe kept quiet as he watched the sky blue atmosphere of Metellos change to the dark black of space.

Vobe glanced around for nearby ships when something caught his eye, off to his left he glanced and saw a large triangular shaped object floating towards him. His heart skipped a beat. "We got company!" Vobe yelled into the intercom. Within an instant Dashal broke into the pilot's cabin.

"What are you talking about? What kind of company?" He said quickly as he leaned on the dashpanel looking out into space. "Imperial trouble?" Dashal continued peering out of the cockpit trying to see what Vobe was worried about.

"There! To our left." Vobe stated as he pointed out to the large object he saw.

Dashal looked out and saw what Vobe was talking about. "Is that what you are worried about?" He said calmly as he also pointed to the object floating in space.

"Yes."

"It's an asteroid, Vobe." You've spotted an asteroid in space. Well done."

"I swear it had looked in a star destroyer. Guess I am just a bit nervous eh?"  
"Nervous?" Dashal said with a laugh. "Don't worry, we all are a bit. It's just that you have the most important part: distracting Sarguillo long enough to allow those guys back there to do their job." He paused for a moment. "I'm going to get back to the lounge and let them know that nothing was wrong." He began to walk to the lounge but at the door stopped and turned. "Don't' worry Vobe, everything will be alright." He turned and walked into the lounge.

"Now to set the coordinates for the communication with Sarguillo." Vobe said to himself. _Now, where to send the transmission from._ He thought to himself. _I have to choose a safe but believable system._ "Telti." Vobe spun the chair around to the navicomputer and inputted the coordinates for Telti. After the navicomputer had the coordinates in its system, Vobe swung the chair back to the control and began the final sequence of buttons that would accelerate the ship to lightspeed. He leaned toward the intercom and pressed the talk button. "I'm setting coordinates for the Telti system in the Inner Rim; from there we will attempt to contact _The Ganymede_. Make sure you guys are strapped in, I am about to make the jump to lightspeed." He released the button and waited a few moments and pressed the final button that would launch the ship into lightspeed.

Within moments, the single dots of starts suddenly turned into long streaks of light as the _The Korregidor_ accelerated into hyperspace.

Vobe stood up and stretched and walked into the lounge. "It will not take long to reach the Telti system. It's close by in the Inner Rim, from there we will try to reach Sarguillo." He slowly walked up to the seats and took one next to Dashal. "The Telti System is devoid of Imperial activity so we should be alright on that front. However, that system is home to brigands and space pirates. We will have to look out for them when we decelerate from lightspeed."

"What system doesn't have pirates?" Hadji said with a slight tone of sarcasm. "Most systems I have been through have their troubles in space. Tatooine has the Valarians and the Hutts, Dantooine has some Black Sun, and I won't even mention what Dathomir has flying around besides Imperial TIEs. They got the Nightsisters on the planet; they got people almost as bad in the system surrounding. But if we are attacked we will do what we can to protect this ship."

Vobe gave a slight nod to what Hadji was saying. "Have you guys gotten your plan together yet on what to do when we land aboard _The Ganymede_?"

"How do you know for sure that we will be brought on board? Or is it just a hunch that we will?" Korba said with doubt. "He could just blow us apart into the stars? Are you certain that he will let us board?"

"It's not one hundred percent certain that he will let me land aboard his ship." A disapproving grunt was heard but Vobe could not tell whose it was. "But I will do all I can to convince him to let us land. Besides, I think he will want to talk to me alive. I mean, he did try to have me killed, he would have succeeded if it wasn't for Dashal here and Isea who shot the man as he tried to shoot me from behind." He paused momentarily. "Thanks again, Dashal."

"Anyway, in response to your initial question," Hadji cut in. "We have our plan worked out with the option to allow modifications, if necessary, which allow for the extreme possibility that we will be seen," he gave a slight smile, to which no one responded. He continued "but, we will be alright. We do our duty, as long as you do yours."

"Good."

Deygon added. "When do we need to get into this 'hiding-space' you have aboard this ship and is the space totally unable to be scanned through?"

"The space is totally unable to be scanned because it is made by materials that are not recognized by any Imperial scanner. It has come in handy when I needed to sneak materials and bounties past Imperial checkpoints. Imperial stormtroopers and personnel are not very kind to bounty hunters, no matter who they are hunting. I've had to sneak a few marks past Imperials by using that 'closet' I guess you can call it. On the scanners that compartment just shows up as wasted space, a solid section of the hull or something. It will be large enough for you three and your supplies." Vobe stood up and began to walk towards the rear of the ship. "Come on guys, let me show you were it's at lest we run into Imperial ships early."

Hadji, Deygon and Korba stood up and each gave a small stretch and moved around the small table in the center of the lounge. Following behind Vobe they passed a clear compartment with a set of composite armor inside. Besides it was another section which housed a section of weapons including an Elite Carbine, and a scatter pistol. As they continued walking through the small corridor, they noticed some dried blood on the metal floor.

"Here we are." Vobe stopped and reached opposite an empty wall and stuck his hand up into a crevice. A small click was heard and the empty wall slowly opened revealing a confined but rather roomy space that was totally hidden from normal eye.

The three men looked rather stunned when the door had opened. "It was very concealed." Korba stated.

"Go on," Vobe said as he motioned towards the inside, "go a head and try it out." The three men each walked inside and there was still much room available. They looked around at the inside.

"Now, how do we get out on our own when we are aboard _The Ganymede_?" Hadji cautiously asked.

"I was just about to explain it to you. Now, when I had this ship built, I had an extra little feature put in that only I would know about -- the ability to let myself out of this compartment. If say, I was because someone had taken control of my ship. Now, if you would guys excuse me for a moment," the three men filed out of the space and watched as Vobe walked inside. "Now you see here," he pointed to a small square section of the floor. He knelt as he began again, "lift up this small panel and inside there is a small lever, pull it towards the door and the hatch will open allowing you to exit."

"Interesting. When I was inside, I never noticed it and I looked right at that area," Korba said.

"Something has just come to my mind that I think we need to discuss," Vobe said looking at each of the crew. "If we meet Sarguillo where he wants, he will have the upper hand. He could have us meet him in a heavily fortified Imperial zone for all we know."

"What are you saying?" Hadji inquired.

"Let's go to the den and I'll discuss it with you." The five men slowly walked out of the compartment and filed through the ship's narrow corridor to _The Korregidor_'s den. Vobe motioned for each of the men to take a seat as he continued standing to go over the changed to the plan that he had just thought of.

When the four men had taken their seats, Vobe began to explain his idea. "Ok. Our plan is to jump to lightspeed and arrive in the Telti System; from there we contact Sarguillo and arrange to meet him somewhere to 'retire' him." Dashal gave a slight nod of approval. "However, like I said earlier, if we meet him where he wants, he could have an ambush waiting for us and this will all be moot. But if there is no ambush then it will be difficult for Hadji, Korba, and Deygon to do their job of disabling _The Ganymede_. I have come up with an idea that might be easier a bit."

"What's that?" Korba aksed.

"What if we meet him somewhere of our choosing, make him disembark his flagship. That gives us the upper hand."

"How does that make it easier on us?" Deygon asked Vobe."

"Well, I think we should have him meet us at Tansarii Point Station in the Outer Rim. Tansarii Point Station is abandoned so no innocent life will be threatened by our meeting. We get Sarguillo to disembark his shuttle with his security detail. Our fight ensues like normal, and hopefully Sarguillo is killed. Now you three," Vobe said as he pointed to Hadji, Deygon, and Korba, "are going to hide your explosives aboard his shuttle. If he lands in the correct hanger bay, the explosion from your thermal charges will severely cripple _The Ganymede_ as planned; cutting off the reactor, ship's power and hopefully communications array. However, any TIE fighters not damaged by the explosion could be launched in response."

Dashal looked around and began to speak. "What about if Sarguillo is killed?"

Vobe replied. "Well, if Sarguillo is killed," he paused as he looked at the ceiling, "hopefully the skirmish will end once the stormtroopers he took with him for protection find out he has been killed. But you three have, with any luck, have placed the explosives aboard his shuttle. Either way, the explosives will have made their way back to _The Ganymede_. That is if it all goes as planned." He paused again. "I hope it goes like we planned," Vobe said with a slight manner of despair.

"Yeah, me too," Hadji replied with a slight sarcastic tone.


End file.
